The Virus
by Demonic Irken
Summary: "You will surrender, or I shall kill everyone you love and care for, starting with these two." Zim said, gesturing towards the human's family. He leaned in close, his breath hitting Dib's face. "I will execute your family, and force you to watch as they suffer unspeakable agony. I'll spill their blood onto the streets, and it will be a glorious sight to behold."
1. Chapter 1

Everything was on fire. Entire buildings had been consumed by the flames, and people were running around screaming, as some burned alive. The ones that escaped the fires and sinkholes were swiftly executed by Zim, as he shot at them with Irken military-grade weapons that the Irken Armada had delivered to him, in preparation for this invasion.

The smoke threw ashes up into the atmosphere, and the sky glowed a bright orange as the sparks danced and weaved their way across the sky. The Armada's Spittle Runners and Shuvvers flew high above them, firing down upon fleeing citizens.

Dib stood in the middle of it all, staring with wide, shocked eyes as he took in the destruction that was currently unfolding. He could not believe what he was seeing. Bodies were everywhere, scattered all around, in pieces.

He heard the faint sound of footsteps, and Dib turned around to see that Zim had snuck up on him. He barely had time to react as the Irken hit him over the head with his weapon, hard enough to hurt the human, but not enough to knock him unconscious. Dib gasped in alarm, surprised that he did not hear the Irken approach him at all. "How did you sneak up on me like that? You're usually never that quiet!"

The alien giggled in a maniacal manner, lashing out with his weapon again, "The Armada gave me these new boots that absorb the sound that I make, to help with sneak attacks and ambushes. They are very effective, so I think I'll start wearing them a lot more often from now on."

The Irken raised his laser gun and fired a single shot at the human, who dodged the attack and swung back. "You're like a virus, Zim. You corrupt and destroy anything that you lay your hands on."

Zim stared deeply into his dark brown eyes, an intimidating smile plastered onto his face, his own ruby-colored eyes shining with malice and evil intent. "I must commend you for your efforts, Dib. You've fought gallantly, and are truly a formidable opponent. But we both knew that this would happen eventually."

"I never thought that you would actually win." Dib replied in a small, defeated manner.

"Well, I have!" The Invader hissed, "You would do well to face the truth: I've won, and you have lost! It is too late for you to change this outcome. Perhaps if you had tried just a little harder to stop my plans, it wouldn't have ended this way for you. My Tallest will surely be pleased to have you in their service."

Dib scoffed. "Your Tallest? Your leaders, the ones who banished you here to die? The ones who couldn't care less about a stupid, egotistical-"

His words were suddenly silenced, as Zim struck him across the face, wrapping his hand around Dib's throat and deploying his PAK legs, bringing one of them towards Dib's face. "If you speak of them like that again, I will take out your eye. Do you understand? I have worked tirelessly to prove to my Tallest that I am worthy of this title, of being a true Invader, and now I've achieved that goal. I finally have the respect and admiration that I deserve."

Zim shrugged. "There was never going to be a victory for you in the long run. You had to have at least suspected that I would eventually defeat you." He raised a PAK leg, and Dib struggled in the Invader's grasp as he prepared to drive it into his chest.

"Cease your struggles, Dib-human. There is no point in resisting anymore. It's over. I have earned this right, and I will see it to fruition." His grip tightened on Dib's throat, as the PAK leg came closer to his heart. "Your world is gone, and the humans that you have worked so hard to save will now be either decimated, or enslaved."

Zim shook his head as he let out a sigh. "Sometimes I wonder why you even bothered trying to save them at all. They were clearly doomed from the very beginning. Just look." He forced Dib to gaze upon the rest of the neighborhood, as more humans were either shot down or captured by Irken foot soldiers.

"It amazes me that even now, you fight to save the lives of those who hated you." He continued, "I doubt that they will change, but there was never any hope for them, anyway. They will all be dead within a matter of hours." The Irken said softly. "You, however, I may let live, as you may still be of some potential use to me. I only require one small thing from you in return."

Dib narrowed his eyes. "And what would that be, Zim?"

Zim grinned. "I request that you surrender yourself to the will of the Irken Empire. There is nothing else that you could do to save yourself, so is your best option if you wish to continue breathing. Your only option. So, I give you a choice: you will either turn yourself over to me, or you die."

"What makes you think that I would ever do something like that?" Dib questioned defiantly.

Zim held up a strange-looking device. "Because I have placed explosives all throughout this city, Dib. If you will not surrender, then you will watch as I cause more of your precious humans to die, before I kill you. I don't want it that way, as My Tallest have requested that I bring you to them alive, and much to my shock and surprise, they fixed my defection in my PAK, and also gave me full command of the foot soldiers."

"You're bluffing," Dib gasped, struggling to breathe as Zim pressed down harder on his throat. "You don't have any explosives."

Zim sighed as the smile fell from his face. "I assure you, I am not joking. Do you want to know how many there are?"

Dib remained silent, so Zim answered for him. "I have placed 23 explosive devices around the city. To show you that I am sincere, I shall detonate one now." He pressed down on the device in his hand, and a nearby building exploded, raining debris upon the fleeing citizens, crushing several of them.

Dib's eyes widened in shock and fright. "NO! STOP!" He shouted.

Zim leaned forward, his thumb hovering over the button. "What's that? I can't hear you! Did you say 'I surrender?' Because I didn't hear those words, did you?"

Dib did not respond as tears fell from his eyes, unable to fight it anymore.

"ANSWER ME!" Zim screamed after a brief silence. "I am this planet's downfall, and its destruction! You think you're this hero that is destined to save the entire human race, when all you are is just a weak, stupid little human who can barely manage to save himself."

The Irken straightened himself, throwing Dib to the ground while pulling out a communicator and pressing a button. "Bring out the prisoners." He said into it.

"Yes, sir." A voice responded. A few seconds later, Gaz and the Professor appeared in front of Dib, bound and shackled by crackling, electrified wires that wrapped around their bodies. They were forced to their knees, with Irken ray guns placed against the back of their heads.

"You will surrender, or I shall kill everyone you love and care for, starting with these two." Zim said, gesturing towards the human's family. He leaned in close, his breath hitting Dib's face. "I will execute your family, and force you to watch as they suffer unspeakable agony. I'll spill their blood onto the streets, and it will be a glorious sight to behold. The beginning of your end."

He released his captive and stood up. "It's your choice, but if you refuse again, their blood will be on your hands, and I don't think that's something you want."

"Okay." Dib choked out, "I…I surrender."


	2. Chapter 2

"Get up," Zim hissed, hauling Dib forcefully to his feet. "You're coming with me."

Dib wobbled on unbalanced legs for a moment, regaining his footing before he was grabbed by the arm and shoved ahead. "Where are you taking me, Zim?"

"To my Tallest," The Irken responded as he climbed aboard his ship, Dib in tow. "You will be brought before them to be judged, and if they deem it necessary, killed."

He looked over towards a few sentry drones standing at attention near the ship's exit. "Restrain him," Zim said, gesturing to his helpless human prisoner.

The guards saluted and swarmed Dib, binding him in Irken handcuffs and leg shackles while Zim observed silently. Dib did nothing to resist, merely allowing them to do as they pleased. His gaze was directed out the window, watching in defeat as more ships landed, and the number of Irken Invaders steadily increased.

Once was satisfied that his captive would not be escaping anytime soon, he wandered over the the pilot's seat and sat down, flipping a few switches and pressing buttons as the ship began to power up for lift off.

Turning the ship towards Dib's still kneeling family, Zim gestured to the guards. "Bring him to me."

They did so, and the Irken stood up, gripping his enemy's chin in his hands, squeezing tightly. "I want you to watch this," He hissed, his ruby eyes glinting with sadistic excitement. "If you turn away, I will have my soldiers hold you down and cut off one of your fingers, or maybe even your entire hand. The Tallest want you alive, and they have requested for you to be unharmed for a reason I cannot comprehend, but I believe for the penalty of disobedience, they would make a rare exception."

He released his grip and turned back to the window, taking out that same communicating device that he had used earlier. "Do it," he instructed.

Dib watched, held in place by the guards behind him, as the Irken foot soldiers fired their ray guns into his family's heads. Their bodies collapsed to the cracked and smouldering concrete, lifeless and dead now, thier blood staining the ground around them in a spreading pool of red.

Zim laughed, studying Dib's expression. "Such fun! The screams of the innocent are always good to hear, but seeing you so broken and defeated, that is the best thing I could ever hope to witness. Now, you truly have nothing left, and you might wish for death to come upon you now, but I assure you that it will not." He giggled again, his snake-like tongue visible between his teeth.

"You will live long, a life of servitude and enslavement to the Tallest, obeying their every whim and desire. Whatever they wish for you to do, you will obey without question, with not an ounce of ill intent or thoughts of rebellion." He squeezed Dib's shoulder, whispering into his ear, "You will learn to accept it in time, and once you do, it will get easier for you. I am really being quite generous to you."

The Irken went over to the cockpit again and flipped a switch, and a moment later, a mechanical voice reverberated throughout the ship.

'AUTOPILOT ACTIVATED.'

Dib felt uneasy then. If Zim wasn't piloting the ship, then that would mean he would have more time to spend with his captive, doing god-knows-what with him.

"You know, Dib," Zim spoke up from the cockpit, his hands on the steering mechanism as he guided the ship into the air and away from the carnage of their now decimated city before he let the autopilot take full control of the Voot Runner. "I have been wanting to know something." He got up and walked over to a section of the ship's walls, placing a gloved hand on a fingerprint scanner.

The section of wall opened to reveal a small room, dark and empty. A cold draft hit him, causing an involuntary shiver to race up his spine as Zim turned to him.

"I want to know why you have stopped resisting me now." The Irken said as he stared Dib in the face, studying his expression. "Where is that fighting spirit that has thrived within you for so long? That refusal to give up?"

Dib felt himself grow angry. "You should know the answer to that, you dummy! You threatened to mutilate me if I didn't surrender to you!"

Before he could say anything else to the alien, he felt a PAK leg pressed to his throat. "I will not allow a lowly human like you to insult me any longer!" The Invader spat angrily. "I tolerated it before, but now I am above such petty games, and I command respect!"

Seized by a sudden rage, Dib gripped the robotic appendage and pushed it away from his body, causing Zim to stumble back a few steps.

He stared the Irken down, fire burning in his belly, his hands now fists. He was ready to fight.

Zim grinned, his ruby eyes lighting up with excitement. "There's the Dib I know." He relaxed his body, hands at his sides. "Come on, then, make your move. I was trained in hand-to-hand combat by my Tallest's personal bodyguards. Let's see what you are truly capable of."

Unable to fight his growing anger any longer, Dib charged and threw a punch at his enemy's midsection. Zim dodged the swing and countered with an attack of his own, uppercutting Dib so hard that the human nearly bit his tongue clean through.

The Irken kicked him in the stomach and swept Dib's feet out from under him in the blink of an eye, and cackled as the paranormal investigator crashed to the ground, bleeding from the mouth.

"See? What did I tell you?" Zim grinned, spreading out his arms. "You can't beat me, so don't even bother trying!"

Dib spat out the blood collecting in his mouth and slowly got to his feet again, not yet ready to admit defeat.

"Ah, I did miss this." Zim said as he readied himself for another round. "Just like the days before. Well, before I took everything you loved away from you."

Dib yelled and ran at him, blinded by fury, and swung.

Zim blocked the punch and grabbed his arm, twisting it painfully behind the human's back. Dib screamed out in agony as he felt something snap within him.

The alien threw him to the ground, bringing his heavy combat boots directly and forcefully onto his diaphragm. Blow after blow rained down onto Dib's defeated form, only ceasing after the pain became too much. He curled into a ball, trying to shield his body from the unrelenting strikes.

Now unable to breathe, he tried to get up, but Zim kicked him hard in the face, his boots as heavy and strong as a pile of bricks. Dib fell back to the ship's floor as he quickly succumbed to exhaustion and unconsciousness.

After he was satisfied that his enemy had been beaten into submission, Zim looked toward his guards and tilted his head at his captive. "Take him to his cell until we arrive at our destination."

They saluted and complied with his demands, picking up Dib by the arms and dragging his barely conscious body to the door that zim had opened earlier and throwing him in, sealing the exit with a ray shield.

He was going to Irk, wether he liked it or not, and now there was nothing more he could do to stop it.


	3. Chapter 3

Dib opened his eyes, and groaned, pain immediately shooting through his body like he had just been electrocuted. He lay there for a moment, staring at the dirty and dark interior of his new cell. His breathing was slow and calm, a surprise even to him. Considering all that he had been through in the past day, he knew that he should be freaking out, in full panic mode.

But he wasn't.

He heard his enemy's voice from outside the cramped room, and his body automatically tensed up, preparing to fight like every other time they had encountered each other.

The door opened, and the first thing he saw after the ray shield dropped were Zim's eyes, glowing a deep red in the semi-darkness of the room, for it had no windows.

"You're awake," the Irken said, stepping fully into the room. "That's good. The Tallest will need you fully conscious for the examinations."

Dib blinked away the spots in his vision as he regained his bearings. "Examinations?" He asked with a hint of fear in his voice, though he tried to hide it.

Zim nodded, smiling, hands clasped behind his back, looking relaxed and prepared for whatever he had planned this time. "Yes, your 'examinations' as the Tallest phrased it. Unfortunately for you, they are actually more painful than they sound, and you will be kept awake through it all, feeling every cut as they slice deep into your weak inferior flesh, reveling in the sound of your screams as you beg for death."

Dib stared at him with wide eyes, not believing what he was hearing. Half of him didn't believe that what Zim was telling him was true, but the Irken had not had any reason to lie to him since he had taken him prisoner aboard his ship.

"You can't be serious!" Dib snapped at him, finally losing his patience. "You're lying to me, trying to get me scared enough to go along with whatever you're gonna do next! Well, I'm not doing it, and nothing you do or say will convince me otherwise!"

That had apparently been the wrong thing to say, because the next few seconds were a blur as Zim growled and shoved Dib up against the cell wall, leaning in close and hissing in his ear to prevent his guards from hearing, "When I am done with you, I will make sure to kill you slowly and painfully. You are nothing to me, a slave to my every whim, and when your body is beaten and broken, I will start on your mind."

Dib struggled in the newly anointed Invader's grasp, but Zim only tightened his grip until the young human was crying out in pain.

"You will suffer endless agony, and I will be there through it all, making you feel every second of it." Zim said lowly, gripping Dib's throat with his hand as he pressed down, cutting off the human's air flow. His claws dug into the skin, pain blossoming and spreading through Dib's body.

The human struggled to speak through the tight grip on his airways. "You will… never break me! You'll… never… win!"

Zim's eyes wandered down the human's body, the gloved fingers of his free hand brushing Dib's skin. "You may think that if you so desire, but eventually, you will succumb to my methods, and serve the Irken Empire. I will make sure of that."

His hand dropped to his side, and he adjusted his grip on Dib's throat. "I would love to take my time with you. Unfortunately, I am on a schedule, so we must hurry this along."

He extended a robotic limb from his PAK, and leveled it with his enemy's chest. Just as he was about to begin, he stopped suddenly, his metal limb hovering just in front of his secretly frightened prisoner.

"I am not a virus." He said slowly, lowering his metallic limb just a fraction of an inch, his expression serious.

"W-what?" Dib asked in a small voice, his fear quickly beginning to push its way to the forefront and reveal itself to the Irken.

"Before, when you said that I destroy everything I come into contact with. When I was in the process of destroying your planet." Zim said impatiently, his expression hardening into one of anger. "I am the greatest Invader the Irken race has ever known, and I will go down in history as such."

He spat at the human, his Silvia hitting Dib's face and running down his cheek. "I am better than you could ever hope to be."

Finding his confidence, Dib laughed weakly. "Did your Tallest tell that to you, too? You know they're lying to you, right? They've always been manipulating you, and you play right into their hands, like the perfect little puppet you-"

A blow to the face caused his words to die in his throat, and though he tried to push it down, that familiar fear returned, tenfold and with renewed strength, surging within him like a tidal wave.

Then, that metal leg was brushing up against his skin again, gently, and it only heightened the fear that Dib felt, as he was dangerously close to feeling the beginnings of terror.

"Don't fret, my dear human," Zim chided, his voice dripping with false comfort. "I will take care of you. I promise I will always be with you, in sickness,"

Then the act was swiftly dropped, and the PAK leg was dragged across Dib's stomach, cutting a shallow line in the flesh.

"-and in _health,"_ the Irken finished with a sneer, humming in satisfaction as he watched his prisoner writhe in agony, small choking noises audible as Dib's body processed the sudden pain that assaulted his mind.

Zim studied him with curious eyes, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips, his gaze intent and focused. He sighed sadly when Dib had gone still again, the PAK leg gently wandering down to the human's waist, its movements deliberate and agonizingly slow.

"One thing I have realized is the simple fact that you think you are strong, you believe your mind cannot be broken, but I know that there are ways to accomplish this feat." Zim said absentmindedly, his attention mostly focused on his PAK leg. "I know, because I have witnessed it with my very eyes. I have participated in some of the experiments my Tallest have conducted on different species, and it works quite well for… _certain purposes."_

He leaned in, his breath heavy and hot on Dib's face. The human tried to struggle, to resist, but the Irken had his arms pinned to the wall by strong little hands. A worm-like tongue slowly snaked out and licked his cheek, tasting his fear. Dib recoiled in disgust.

"All humans are the same. Weak, spineless creatures, selfish and dependent upon others for survival," Zim said in a low voice, soft and observant. "and you are just like them, no matter how much you would like to deny it and say you are different, better than the rest of them. You are not, and you never will be."

He growled as Dib began to thrash against his hold, bringing up his metal leg again to align it with his enemy's side, just below his ribs. "So, I began thinking: what is the point of resisting? You have nothing left now, everyone you have ever known is quite possibly dead, and you still possess a small spark of that defiant personality I know so well."

His hand shot out to grip Dib's chin with almost crushing force, holding his head still. "Now, if you do not stop your squirming, we will have to begin the procedure earlier than necessary, here in this very room, and you _will_ be remaining conscious."

Dib tried to speak, but could not, due to the pressure Zim was applying to his lower jaw.

The Irken sighed, gazing into his eyes. "I must admit that I have often wondered what you look like on the inside. How your organs must feel, how they must look. I imagine they are quite fascinating to observe up close and personal."

He poked at Dib's stomach with his PAK leg, and the human made a sound, almost sounding like a whimper.

"So, I am indeed not a virus, Dib-human. I am not the cause of any kind of sickness or death, or anything of the sort." He lightly pierced the skin with his spider limb, and Dib cried out weakly in pain.

Zim smiled and went in a little deeper, his excitement growing with each passing second as his captive's screams grew louder. The Irken laughed and pulled out of him, his alien eyes twinkling with sadistic pleasure. "You humans are weaker than I thought. You can't even handle a simple flesh wound."

The alien put away his spider leg and tilted his head thoughtfully. "Ship! What time is it?" He yelled.

 _It is 5 minutes past midnight, Earth time, Master Zim._

Zim released his hold on Dib's mouth. "Unfortunately, it looks as if we are slightly behind schedule, so we will be starting immediately." He reached into his tunic and pulled out a knife, flicking it open. "Normally, I would despise using such inferior equipment, but I feel that this would be most effective now."

"You can't do this," Dib said, finally finding his voice. "This is crazy, even for you! You said that they fixed your PAK, right? So you would be a better soldier?"

"I am among the _very_ best!" Zim said proudly. "One of the Irken Elite!"

Dib seized his chance, choosing to continue resisting, even if it killed him. "Well, in my eyes you'll always be that stupid, incompetent alien who can't even take over the universe's most vulnerable planet! You will always be filth, a disease to all of humanity and Irken kind."

"No, my dear human, I am not the _sickness,"_ Zim snarled, placing the tip of the freshly-sharpened hunting knife against Dib's chest, "I am the _cure._ Now, let us see what you really are. Deep. Down. Inside."

Zim began cutting, and cackled loudly as the silence died and the sound of Dib's screams pierced the air.


	4. Chapter 4

Dib sat in his cell, trying not to think about how hungry he was. He had gone without food all day yesterday, and Zim had refused again when he had asked for some a few hours earlier.

The door opened, and Zim stepped through, holding a small plate of food. The Irken had changed his attire, and was now wearing a plain black t-shirt with the Irken insignia on his chest in bright red, and his pants were now looser and less constricting. He also wore a small ammo belt with a holster, in which he had placed the weapon he had used when he first captured Dib. His feet were bare, and he had a relaxed, easy-going expression.

Zim padded over to his human prisoner, reaching up to stroke his face, the gesture seeming to be almost affectionate. "Good morning to you, Dib. Rest well?"

Dib stared at him, not saying a word.

"How do you feel today?" Zim asked pleasantly while he set the tray of food down in front of Dib. "I've brought you some nourishment."

The human looked at his meal, which did look rather good, he admitted to himself. He readily picked up one of the utensils that sat near the tray, and prepared to eat.

Just as he was about to take his first bite, he met Zim's eyes. They were eager, encouraging. Too excited. Something wasn't right about this.

He set down his food, and sat there, tired eyes sweeping over his captor's clothes. Alarm bells were going off in his mind, and this time he chose to listen to them.

"Go on, eat." Zim prompted gently, a smile tugging at his lips. "You are hungry, aren't you? It's got everything you need. I know you've been wanting a meal, and now I have provided you with one."

"What did you do to it?" Dib asked hoarsely, his body still waking up.

"I have done nothing to it."

"You're never this nice. You've never been like this before." Dib said accusingly. Then, he came to a realization. "You poisoned it, didn't you?"

Zim laughed. "Why would I do a thing like that? Why would I want you, my favorite prisoner, to be ill and weak? How could that possibly help me in any way?"

"Maybe so I couldn't try to escape." Dib reasoned out loud. "Maybe so you could do something to me that I wouldn't be able to stop from happening."

Before he had even finished his sentence, he was staring down the barrel of an Irken plasma ray gun.

"I have had enough of this!" Zim said loudly, swiftly dropping his act. "You will eat what I give you, regardless of any effects you may have, or-" He pointed the weapon to Dib's stomach. "you will acquire a new injury to add to your growing collection."

Now finding himself in very real danger, Dib immediately picked up his eating utensils and took a bite of his food. The taste of it was sweet, but also slightly bitter.

He took a few more bites under Zim's watchful eyes, the gun still pointed at his stomach, his trigger finger twitching, ready to fire at the slightest hint of defiance.

When Dib's food was about halfway done, the Irken smiled and holstered his weapon again. "Now, that was not too difficult for you after all, was it?"

He pressed a button on his communicator, and his guards appeared outside of the cell door within seconds.

"I need to go down below to the lower deck. See to it that he finishes the remainder of his meal, and when he is finished eating, bring him to me." Zim instructed, voice carrying an authoritative tone.

They saluted and took up positions on either side of the door while Zim departed to another section of the ship, leaving Dib alone with his thoughts.

The human continued to eat, listening until Zim's footsteps grew fainter and eventually faded. He set down his food and stood up to stretch, feeling a bit lightheaded after he sat back down.

At first, he thought that it was simply because of the blood rushing to his brain too fast, but after a few seconds went by and it still persisted, Dib had a feeling that something was wrong.

His vision was blurry, and he blinked a few times, confused. Why did he feel so strange? Did Zim put something in his food after all?

He stumbled and fell over, groaning and getting back onto his feet. The Irkens guarding him grabbed his arms and placed his hands in handcuffs that crackled and sparked, and if Dib moved his arms even a little bit he would get a shock from them, grimacing in pain.

They took him to an elevator lift and rode with him down to a lower deck, where Zim waited for them. When they arrived, the door opened, and the alien was in the corner of the room and had his back to them for a moment, hard at work on something that looked to be important.

"Master Zim." One of the guards spoke up, his voice nervous. "We have brought you the boy, as you requested."

Zim turned to face them, smiling. "Ah, yes, thank you. You are dismissed for now."

They nodded and left, taking the lift up to the main rooms.

"Come here, Dib. I would like to show you something." Zim said calmly, turning back to whatever he was working on at the moment.

The human cautiously stepped forward, eyes scanning the room for possible threats to his safety. Seeing none, he walked over and stopped at the Irken's side, staring down at his project.

It was a body. A human body.

Noticing Dib's shock at the revelation, Zim smiled and set down his tools. "I'm sorry, was this someone you knew? Someone you cared for?"

The human said nothing, and after a few seconds the alien shook his head and resumed his work. "Of course not. Sometimes now I forget that you never really had a family. No one who accepted you or cared about you, anyway."

There was a sharp cracking noise as Zim began breaking through the bones of the body. "You were always on your own, never having any others to confide in. Never having anyone to call your 'friend.' They would have betrayed you soon after, leaving you feeling devastated and angry. More lonely than before."

"How do you know all of that?" Dib asked in a quiet voice, wondering how his enemy had gotten into his head and seemingly knew of his thoughts.

"Because I know you, Dib." The Irken answered, his full attention now once more on the human. "I know how you think, I've studied you for years. I've literally been inside of your mind. Your behavior, your body language, it all speaks to me. It screams of a longing for acceptance among your peers. Though, now that your planet has been enslaved, you no longer need to worry about any of that."

Dib had his eyes staring at the ground, trying to decipher Zim's words, and find the hidden meaning in them.

"Do you miss it? Being with your family?" Zim wondered aloud. "Do you miss being ridiculed and shamed, deep down knowing full well that no one really cared for you and wished you would just be committed to an asylum, so that they may be rid of you?"

He met the alien's gaze, still searching for the right words.

"What's the point of this, Zim?" He demanded lightly, finally finding his voice again. "I know you didn't bring me down here just so you could converse with me. What do you want?"

Abandoning his current project, Zim grabbed Dib by the arm and pulled him along down a corridor. "I have something for you to do to prove your worth. If you are going to live like one of us, you must become one of us."

They stopped at the end of the hall, and the door opened to allow them entry, the human noticing that this particular room was bigger than most on the ship.

Inside this room was a Vortian, chained and shackled to the wall. He had something over his mouth, preventing him from speaking. A new pair of Irken Elites guarded him, standing at attention on either side of the alien captive.

"This is Kalani, a Vortian I took as my prisoner when the Irken Empire captured the planet Vort." Zim explained. "I have no further use for him anymore."

He nodded to his guards, and they undid the chains holding the alien in place. Kalani fell to the floor and got back up on shaky legs. the object over his mouth also fell off, and he looked from Zim to Dib nervously.

The Irken took out a blade, the colors of the hilt blue and red, mixing together, and tossed it on the floor in front of him. "So you will kill him. Show me that you are willing to do whatever it takes to secure victory for the Empire."

The guards went over to Dib and freed his hands of the shackles, and the human looked down at the weapon, unsure of how to proceed.

"Do it," Zim said coldly. "or there will be no more meals for you for a week. None at all. You don't want that, do you? To be starving in your cell, alone and scared?"

There was a few more seconds of silence as the young human debated on the best course of action.

Growing impatient, Zim looked at his guards and tilted his head slightly in Dib's direction. The two larger Irkens drew their weapons and aimed them at their human prisoner.

"I will not wait any longer for you to decide, Dib." Zim spoke up, his voice annoyed and almost angry. "You will kill him now, or I will do it, and there will be consequences for you if I am forced to dispose of him."

So, the choice was made for him. Under the threat of further injury, Dib forced his body to pick up the glowing blade, and ready himself to kill.

A/N: This story has been hard to write lately. My hamster died recently, and I'm still dealing with the loss, so I apologize for the wait.


	5. Chapter 5

"There is an escape pod in the room adjacent to this one," Zim said as he gave Kalani a blade as well. "If Kalani emerges the victor, he will be permitted to leave this ship and go wherever he chooses."

Dib gripped his blade tightly, glancing over at Zim. The Irken was whispering something in the Vortian's ear, the other alien giggling periodically and nodding.

He could stab him now, while he was distracted, but he knew that as long as the guards were present, he would be shot dead before he could even take one step in his direction. So Dib remained rooted to his spot, not daring to move an inch until Zim commanded it.

"If Dib wins, he will be given three square meals a day, any food of his choosing, untampered with, which my chef will prepare for him. He will also be allowed out of his cell for 6 hours each day, though he must be accompanied by an Elite during that time." Zim said, his voice projecting loudly throughout the room. The guards nodded in understanding.

Then he gave the signal to begin, and before Dib knew it, the Vortian prisoner was running toward him, knife in hand, aiming for his upper body.

The human gasped and threw up his arms to defend himself and block the attack, but it did him no good, as Kalani swiped at him with his weapon. The blade grazed Dib's arms, drawing blood.

He tried to swipe at him again, but Dib, relying on his survival instincts to guide him, swiftly grabbed Kalani's arm with one hand and prevented him from using the knife any further.

Now that he was up close and personal with the Vortian, Dib saw the extent of his trauma. He was nothing more than skin and bone, barely any meat on him at all. His horn-like antennae were a pale grey color due to lack of proper nutrients and irons, and his eyes were wild and unfocused. He giggled every few seconds, seeming to find their current situation rather humorous.

Kalani was not as strong as Dib, especially since he had been so severely weakened, though he continued trying to force the glowing blade towards Dib's chest.

"Please stop," Dib pleaded with him, desperate to avoid this outcome. "We can work together to defeat Zim, just please stop this."

Kalani giggled at that and applied more of his muscle and weight into pushing the knife forward, now using both hands to try and force it towards his opponent. The tip of the weapon brushed Dib's skin, and the human gasped in pain. The blade was burning hot, glowing brighter now, and he could feel the warmth radiating from it.

Now seeing that there would be no way to reason with the Vortian, Dib let his survival instincts kick in full force, and he yelled out and brought his own weapon up in a sweeping arc, catching the Vortian in the throat.

He yanked out the blade as Kalani fell to his knees, clutching his bleeding throat and staring straight ahead with a crazed grin on his face.

Dib dropped his own weapon, and it grew dim and then dark, looking almost like a regular knife, like the ones back on Earth.

He heard laughter, and turned to see Zim was the cause of it.

"Excellent work, Dib-stink!" Zim praised the human with a pleased grin on his face, his eyes twinkling brightly. "I knew you could do it. Now, finish him. End his suffering, and then you may eat a full, proper meal once you get cleaned up."

Dib stared at him angrily, debating his next move. "You made me kill him! All for your own entertainment!"

Kalani watched this confrontation, still on his knees grasping at his throat, though he was now fading fast. He tried to giggle again, but only managed to emit a wet choking sound as his blood filled his esophagus and prevented him from drawing in air to breathe. He was suffocating.

Zim exhaled calmly and strode over to his human prisoner, folding his hands behind his back in a relaxed composure. "I did it for you. To make you stronger. Servitude to the Tallest is no easy task. This is an amazing opportunity, to serve my Tallest, and I want to be absolutely certain that you will be truly prepared for it."

He picked up the blade and extended his hand to Dib. "Now, take it, and finish him so that you may be allowed to eat and freshen up. Perhaps I will even go as far as to allow you better sleeping arrangements. I am certain that the cold floor of the ship is not suitable for a human like yourself."

Dib stared at the blade, Zim still waiting for him to take it. He looked at Kalani, who was now watching him while his face turned a deep blue color. "I can't." He decided.

Zim's hopeful expression faded into a disappointed one, and he sighed as he drew his ray gun. "Well, that," he said, as he pointed it toward Kalani, "is unfortunate."

He fired a shot through Kalani's face, and the Vortian jerked backwards and hit the floor with a loud thumping noise as he grew still and silent.

His guards rushed to clear the body as Zim holstered his ray gun and glared at Dib with slight annoyance. "You only had to do this one simple task, and your life would have improved drastically. However, I am in a forgiving mood today, so you will still be receiving a partial amount of your rewards, since I am pleased that you at least emerged victorious."

When the guards returned from disposing of Kalani's corpse, Zim called them over. "Take Dib to get cleaned up and showered, and bring him fresh clothes." He instructed. "He is to be given two meals a day, and be allowed three hours out of his cell each day. He will also need a place to rest during the night, so provide him with sleeping quarters, but keep the door locked while he is inside."

They nodded in understanding and took Dib gently by the arms to escort him to the showers so he could wash the blood off of his body.

As they walked down the halls, Dib admired the designs etched into the walls, the patterns of lines and colors, all telling their own story. Tubes lined the ceiling of the ship, pumping in fresh oxygen and maintaining the life support systems.

Once Dib arrived at the showers, the guards stood outside in the corridor while he went in with a clean set of clothes, giving him privacy while he cleaned up.

As he stood under the hot water, Dib thought about the Vortian he had a hand in killing, the look of shock and then amusement on its face. It was severely weakened by an extended period of time locked in a dark room, chained to the wall for who knows how long.

He could only imagine the things Zim had done to that poor alien before he had been executed so heartlessly. Then, he was hit with another, more sickening thought: is that what would happen to him if he didn't do what Zim wanted? If he disobeyed his orders? He hoped not.

He stepped out of the shower and examined the clothes he had been given to wear. The shirt was red and purple, with a large black Irken insignia on the back of it, and a smaller one just over his heart.

The pants were all black and were his size, though they fit him loosely and were more flexible to allow for easier and less constricting movement. He brushed his hair with a comb that had been put in there with him, and walked out when he was ready, the guards walking with him.

Dib headed towards Zim's area of the ship and found the Irken sitting on one of the couches near the cockpit, reading some sort of magazine that was in Irken. He had a bowl of marshmallows on the table which he was eating from, chewing quietly. There was a plate of melted chocolate next to it.

"How much longer?" Dib asked, stomping up to the Invader in a rage. "How long until we get to Irk? We've been flying around in space for almost a week."

Zim sighed and calmly glanced up from whatever he was reading. "A few more days. You should be grateful that I am allowing you time to relax." He grabbed another marshmallow and dipped it into the chocolate, tossing it into his mouth. "Your next assignment will be even more difficult."

"I don't want to do this anymore!" Dib cried out in frustration. "I can't take it!"'

"You seem stressed," Zim observed as he picked up his magazine again, pushing the bowl of marshmallows over to some chairs across from him. "Sit. Relax, have some food. Calm yourself."

"I want to go home!" Dib said, staring at the Irken with fire in his eyes. "You can't keep me here!"

"Actually, you should know by now that I can keep you here for as long as I desire. Your world is lost, it is mine. This ship is your home now, until we get to Irk," Zim said, looking up at the human. "I suppose we could go back, but the Tallest have given orders to shoot any human who has not been captured. You would be killed on sight, so you are much safer here with me."

"Being killed would be better than staying with you on this ship for any longer!" Dib spat, anger rising. "I murdered someone because of you!"

"If you remember, I was the one who killed Kalani." Zim reminded him. "You merely took away his ability to breathe. That alone would have killed him eventually, yes, but a soldier does not feel confliction when faced with danger. He obeys his orders and he eradicates said threat immediately, without remorse or hesitation. You have done none of that. Now, sit down and eat. We will continue your training in a few hours."

"I'm done training, I'm done doing what you want! I'm going to get to that escape pod and get off of this ship!" Dib decided, turning towards the door to leave the room.

"There are no escape pods." Zim said, making Dib freeze in his tracks.

"What do you mean there aren't any escape pods? You told Kalani that you would let him free if he won." Dib demanded, turning back around to face him.

Zim shrugged. "I lied to him. Do you really think I was going to let him walk away a free alien?" He chuckled. "No, I'd never do that, especially now. I would have had to kill him anyway, even if he had beaten you."

"Why would you do that?" Dib asked, shock creeping into his voice.

"He was far too malnourished and weak to live long enough to serve me the way that I wanted." Zim explained. "He would have tried killing me, too, which I will obviously not allow. Any scenario I thought of, would always end with his death, one way or the other. He was not fit to be a soldier."

He reached over and pulled the bowl of marshmallows towards him. "If you aren't going to eat, may I have your food?" He asked politely.

Dib left the room, not wishing to speak to Zim any further.

 **A/N: How are you all feeling about this story so far?**


	6. Chapter 6

Dib was not looking forward to training again. Whatever Zim had planned, it was bound to be dangerous.

He still could not stop thinking about what had happened just a few hours ago. He felt terrible, but he didn't have any choice in the matter, Zim had made that perfectly clear to him.

He hadn't even had any chance to process it yet because the Irken had been working him ragged, making him do things around the ship to keep busy until he was ready to continue training him.

After another hour, Zim called him into one of the rooms, and closed the doors when Dib entered. Taking off the shirt of his uniform, the Irken hung it neatly on a protruding hook and turned to Dib.

"Today we will be practicing hand-to-hand combat." Zim explained "We will train for an hour, and then we will get something to eat."

He began the lesson, and Dib tried to pay as close attention as possible to avoid getting on Zim's bad side. He had seen what happened when the Irken was truly angered.

With every punch Dib threw out, Zim blocked and countered, sometimes with a kick or two, one time managing to get behind the human and trap him in a chokehold.

"What will you do now, Dib?" He taunted as he pressed down harder on his throat. "The enemy has you at their mercy, and could kill you at any moment. How will you escape?"

Dib lashed out with his arm and hit the Irken just below his chest, and Zim inhaled sharply and released him. The young human pushed him away and stood up, breathing hard.

Zim laughed. "Very good, but not all aliens have their organs in the same places. Some do not have any at all."

These lessons continued frequently after that, for an hour a day every day, until around 4 days into Dib's training, a voice spoke over the speakers in the room. "Master, we have arrived on Irk. Prepare to land."

"That is enough training for now." Zim said, putting his uniform back on and dusting it off with his hands. "Now we will report to the Tallest, and you will tell them about yourself and your race."

Dib was nervous. He had never met Zim's leaders, and he didn't want to know what they would do with his planet now that it was in the Empire's control.

Zim landed the ship on a nearby docking platform and descended the ramp, walking out looking confident and ready. Dib followed close behind.

They entered an enormous building adorned with purple and red colors.

As they marched down the corridor into the Tallest's throne room, Dib felt a gun digging into his spine.

"You are not to say anything unless my Tallest or myself address you directly," Zim murmured into his ear. "If you are asked a question, you will answer honestly and with as much information as you can provide. Am I understood?"

Dib nodded. "Yes, I understand."

"Good." The pressure in his back lessened, and they entered the throne room, where the Tallest sat in their chairs eating chocolate candies from a platter.

"My Tallest, I present to you one Dib Membrane, the sole survivor of Urth's decimation." Zim declared loudly, his voice easily projected in the large room. "He is my gift to you, and you may do with him whatever you please."

Tallest Red smiled. "Excellent work, Zim!" He praised. "To both take over the planet and bring back a slave for us, this is way beyond what we expected from you. I knew we made the right choice when we repaired your PAK."

Zim grinned. "Thank you, my Tallest! But, I must ask, what will you do with Urth now? What of the remaining prisoners?"

Purple stopped eating and turned to Red. "I think we should turn the planet into… I don't know, maybe another prison or something? Can't ever have too many of those!"

"You can't do that!" Dib blurted out, forgetting about Zim's rule. "That's not fair!"

Red turned to look at him. "We can do whatever we want, human. We are the Tallest."

He turned back to Purple, reaching for another piece of chocolate. "Great idea, Purple! Prison planet it is. As for the rest of the humans, they will be eradicated. We can't have any rebellions to complicate our rule!"

Dib watched them discuss the fate of his home world, powerless to stop any future plans from unfolding. He couldn't believe that they could be this heartless and cruel, to simply destroy an entire race without any sense of remorse or guilt, not even willing to give it a second thought. It was barbaric.

"As for this human here," Red said, gesturing to Dib with his hand, "he will be assigned to cleaning duty, and will be in charge of keeping our rooms clean and nice-smelling."

Beside him, Dib felt Zim tense.

"But, My Tallest, I spent several days training Dib for combat! I taught him much of what I know about the enemies of our race, and their weaknesses!" The Irken attempted to remain calm, but his voice betrayed his anger at his leaders' decision. "Surely he could of more use to you other than a simple service done! He has so much potential, and I suggest putting him in a position where his skills would be most useful."

"Our decision has been made, Zim, and we will not consider any further options at this time." Red declared, his tone hardening as he ate another surgery treat from the platter at his side. "Now, pick out a room for the human to stay in, and make sure he understands the rules of his servitude to us."

Zim's expression turned into anger for a split second, then returned to one of respect. "Yes, My Tallest." He said as he bowed his head and lowered his antennae. He grabbed Dib by the arm and escorted him down a long hallway, stopping at a door that slid open when they approached it.

"This is your room. You will be staying here from now onward." Zim explained to him in a disinterested tone. "You must keep it clean and free of any garbage or any other such filth, and it will be inspected by a fellow service drone once every three days to ensure that you are upholding these conditions."

"Okay, I understand," Dib said quietly, noting the look on the Irken's face, his gloved hands were clenched into fists. He was still angry. "I'll follow those rules."

Zim suddenly turned and punched him in the face, the force of the blow making Dib fall to the floor. "I told you not to speak unless you are asked a direct question!" He kicked the human in the side as Dib tried to get back to his feet.

The Irken kicked him in the face then, causing Dib's head to snap back so forcefully that the human was afraid he might have whiplash.

"Zim-" he started, but was interrupted again by the Invader grabbing his shirt and hauling him to his feet.

"You are the cause of their displeasure!" Zim yelled as he threw Dib against the wall of the room.

Dib collapsed to the ground and groaned, tasting blood from the inside of his mouth. He must have bit down on his cheek when Zim was kicking him.

The Invader grabbed the human's head and smashed it into the wall, screaming out in rage. "You are the reason they do not realize the effort I put into you! Molding you into a perfect soldier! And what do I get from you? Disobedience, rebellious behavior, and a lack of appreciation for the gift I have given you!"

Another kick to Dib's stomach. "You could be so much more than a janitorial drone, and you waste your abilities, and do not even try to attempt to show me that you are deserving of the great honor of serving my Empire!"

He raises his arm to strike again, but is distracted when the door opens. An Irken Elite stood in the hallway, standing at a respectable distance.

"Sir, the Tallest request your presence." He looked at Dib. "Alone, please. The human can stay here until you are finished."

"On what subject?" Zim questioned hesitatingly.

"They wish to speak with you about the human, sir. They say it's urgent."

"Very well, then," Zim replied, dusting off his uniform. "I shall be there momentarily. As for this one," he guestered to Dib. "Get him cleaned up and make him look presentable in case the Tallest request to meet with him again."

"Yes, Master Zim," the Elite said, bowing his antenna respectfully. "Right away, sir."

Zim nodded and marched out of the room, preparing to speak with his Tallest.


	7. Chapter 7

You summoned me, My Tallest?" Zim stood before his leaders, awaiting further instructions.

Tallest Red looked up from his food. "We are concerned about your human pet. You are spending too much time with him,"

Zim was confused. "Sir, I do not understand. I am merely preparing him for the necessary qualifications to join our Empire. I only wish to-"

"To overthrow us?" Red interrupted him, his tone full of venom and distrust. "Is that what you're preparing him for?"

Zim was shocked. "But sirs, I would never even think to do such a thing! My loyalty is with you and you alone! I would gladly give my life for you!"

"Would you really do such a thing, Zim?" Red questioned, disbelieving. "Are you truly loyal to our cause?"

"I assure you, sirs, I want nothing more than to serve alongside you!" Zim tried to explain, his voice shaking as he began to worry. "I- I can prove my loyalty to you, if you would just allow me to show you what the human is truly capable of. He has potential, I promise you!"

"He is to remain on janitorial duty until we find another use for your human," Red declared. "In the meantime, you will not interact with him until we give you permission to do so. Purple and I feel that you might be teaching him more about us than is necessary."

"I can prove his worth to you! I will not-"

"QUIET, ZIM!" Purple interjected harshly.

The Irken Invader immediately fell silent.

"You have your orders." Red glared at Zim, shooing him off. "Now, return to your current tasks, and there will be consequences for you if we find out that you disobeyed us."

"Yes, My Tallest," Zim bowed respectfully and hurried off, fire burning in his squeedily spooch.

This was an order he would not be following. He would show his Tallest that Dib was anything but worthless, no matter the lengths he had to go to.

Whatever it took, whatever the cost, he would prove it to them.

Zim stormed into Dib's room, and drew his gun. "Take off your clothes, and show me your scars."

Dib stopped sweeping, broom frozen in his hands, and stared at him quizzically. "What?"

Zim fired a shot, scorching the wall just an inch from Dib's head.

"Take them off, slowly." He said, his weapon trained on the human now. "I want to see all of you. Next time, I won't miss."

Dib quickly complied, dropping the broom and removing his shirt first, followed by his pants, and then finally, his boxers.

"Good," Zim said, circling around him, inspecting every part of him. "Very good." He stopped behind him, and Dib felt a gloved hand on his shoulder.

"Just stay very still," the Irken breathed into his ear, breath hot and heavy. "Do not move so much as an inch."

Dib remained stone still while Zim's breath was on the back of his neck, sending involuntary shivers down his spine.

"These represent our countless battles in the days of old," The Irken said, running his hand over the human's back. "Battle trophies carved into your very flesh, marking you as mine. Perhaps these might be proof enough to show your worth to my Tallest."

He moved down to Dib's waist, and then below.

"I am always fascinated by human anatomy," Zim muttered, "especially this part." He reached down and tapped the human's groin with the barrel of his gun, making Dib flinch. The weapon was still hot.

Dib felt his face began to grow warm. These parts of his body were very private, only for his own eyes. Being forced to expose such sensitive areas would make anyone as uncomfortable as he was now.

He flinched again as he felt Zim's other hand wrap around his area, his touch cold and tight. He wanted to speak up and tell him to stop, but then he felt the barrel of the ray gun digging into his back, and he decided that it would be best if he remained silent.

"This is how you humans reproduce, yes?" Zim asked in amusement, hand still wrapped around it. He looked up at Dib. "You may speak now."

"Y-yes," Dib said quietly, the pressure of the gun in his back lessening. "That's what we use to… make more of us."

"This little thing made billions of you?" Zim asked curiously, to which Dib nodded.

The alien stared down at it in amazement. "Fascinating. Each one of your kind has these?"

Dib hesitantly nodded again, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

Zim relaxed his body and lowered his weapon. "Speak. Tell me how it works."

Well, he didn't want to do that at all. "Only the males of our species have these, and I would rather not tell you if that's okay." The human said nervously.

"Then show me," Zim said, releasing his hold on Dib's private area and stepping back while he began tapping his ray gun against his hip. "Show me how you reproduce."

Dib liked that idea even less than the previous one. "Absolutely not! It's an extremely private act!"

Zim smiled, his eyes shining with glee. "Is it? Now you must show me."

The human wished he had kept his mouth shut. "I can't." He whimpered.

"You can. You will," Zim said threateningly, gesturing with his ray gun. "Or I will shoot you in your arm, then your leg, and if you feel the need to further resist me, your stomach."

"But I-"

Then agonizing pain in Dib's right arm, and he fell to his knees, crying out in pain.

"I am not playing games with you today, Dib." The Irken said, the barrel of the ray gun smoking slightly. "You do not get to refuse my wishes. You will do what I want, and you will do it now."

Whimpering, Dib got slowly back to his feet, his injured arm flaring up with agony at the slightest movement. He reached down with his good arm to grasp his penis, and took a deep breath.

Just as he was about to begin, the communicator on Zim's belt beeped.

Gesturing for the human to wait, the Irken pressed a button on the device and spoke into it. "Yes, what is it, Letch? I'm very busy."

Grateful for the opportunity to rest, Dib sighed and lowered his arm. He could not understand whoever was on the other end of the device, they were speaking in what Dib assumed to be Irken.

"I don't care what you do with the one that escaped!" Zim was saying into his communicating device. "Just do whatever you feel is necessary to…. what? He tried to free more of them? Fine, kill him in front of the others. Make him an example."

Whatever was going on, Dib didn't like the sound of it. He began to grow worried for his own life then. Was he becoming expendable?

"Yes, you can torture the ones who tried to participate." Zim continued. "Then you will put them all back into their cells and secure the lower levels. Are there any fatalities?"

Dib was shocked. Were there more creatures on the ship also being held prisoner? Were there any like him? Any more humans, even? He hoped so.

Zim picked up his clothes and threw them to the human. "Change of plans, Dib, you need to get dressed. You're going to help me stop an uprising."


	8. Chapter 8

Zim led Dib into a lift that took them lower into the building, and the human began to hear the sound of blaster fire and screaming as they got closer to the site of the revolt.

"Sir, they all broke free! We need your assistance, we can't hold them for much longer!" A voice said from Zim's communicator.

"Kaslu, do not let them leave the premises!" Zim shouted into his device. "I am on my way to assist you."

"There aren't many of us left, sir!" the Irken named Kaslu said frantically. Dib could hear a horrible screeching sound that he assumed was a battle cry. "We've suffered heavy casualties!"

"How many of you are left?"

"There are only ten of us left, sir." Kaslu responded. "I don't think we're going to win this one!"

"Fight to the last Irken! Don't give in!" Zim demanded. "Keep the ray shields up, and don't allow them to-"

Zim's communicator crackled with static.

"Kaslu! Kaslu!" The Irken smacked the device. "Stupid piece of junk! Kaslu, are you there?!"

No response. Zim smashed it into the wall in frustration, screaming.

The Irken thrust a knife into Dib's hands. "Time for you to prove yourself. Show me what you're made of."

They arrived on the desired level, and Zim rushed out as soon as the doors opened, drawing his ray gun and running down the corridor towards the sound of battle.

Dib followed behind, brandishing his weapon nervously.

"KEEP THE PACE, SOLDIER!" Zim shouted to him. "KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN, BE READY TO KILL!"

He disappeared through the doors, and began firing.

Dib slowly moved toward his destination, not really feeling like he wanted to do this. This was way too much for him to handle. He didn't think he could get out of this alive, or at least unscathed.

He heard movement a few feet ahead of him, the sound of shuffling. He stopped and waited in the middle of the corridor, glancing around himself, body trembling with fright.

He saw nothing, and continued moving towards the door. Just as he reached it, he heard a yell a few feet behind him. He turned around quickly, and saw a Vortian dressed in a prisoner's uniform rushing him, its face contorted into rage and determination to kill.

It swung its weapon at him, and Dib just barely dodged the attack. He swung his own weapon at his assailant, missing his mark as the Vortian dodged and lashed out with his foot, kicking Dib in the stomach and pushing him back.

This one was stronger than Kalani, Dib realized. He wouldn't be defeated so easily.

He kept fighting.

Meanwhile, Zim was having some trouble of his own. He was surrounded by a group of seven prisoners, all wielding weapons of their own. Some had blasters and ray guns taken from the corpses of fallen Irkens they had killed, while a few of them had melee weapons.

Zim was backed into a corner against the wall, shooting away. He hit a few of them, and they fell to the ground, unmoving.

He tried to continue firing, but his weapon made a clicking noise, and nothing happened. The Irken's unworried expression fell, and he began to feel fearful now, his confidence beginning to waver.

"Looks like you're out of ammo, little man," one of the prisoners laughed. "What are you gonna do now?"

Thinking quickly, Zim brought out his PAK legs and used them to stab his tormentor though the stomach. The alien screamed and collapsed to the ground.

Zim raised himself up into the air on his PAK legs as he took an ammo clip from his belt and began to reload his gun, while the other prisoners who had ray guns began firing at him.

He finished reloading his weapon and shot all of his attackers, firing in rapid bursts and yelling out in defiance. When they had all been defeated, and lay sprawled out on the ground with still-smoking holes burning into their flesh, Zim retracted his PAK legs and sighed in relief as he slumped against the wall, exhausted.

Dib swung at his attacker again, this time managing to hit his mark and score a hit on his Vortian enemy's arm. The alien grunted in pain and retaliated, blocking the human's next strike, and punching Dib in the face.

The human stumbled back a few steps, momentarily stunned, and the escaped prisoner seized this opportunity, and drove his knife straight into Dib's stomach.

Dib screamed as the weapon ate away at his flesh and burned his insides. As it grew hot and began to emit smoke, his opponent laughed in satisfaction.

"How does it feel to DIE?" He taunted, thrusting it in deeper.

Dib clutched his stomach as his vision began to grow dark.

Zim heard the scream, and recognized Dib's voice. He immediately stood up and ran out of the room, spotting his human lying on the ground in a spreading pool of blood, with an alien, who he recognized as Sleck, raising his knife for the killing blow.

"NO!" He screamed, firing his ray gun and hitting the Vortian in the chest.

Sleck jerked backwards, but did not fall, and Zim stared in confusion.

"Blasterproof armor." Sleck explained as he tore off his now ruined shirt, revealing metal plating covering his chest and stomach. "Stole it from one of your guards. Pretty neat."

Zim growled in frustration and holstered his ray gun since it would do him little good in this scenario, deciding instead to use his PAK legs to scuttle toward the enemy and finish him off that way.

The Vortian tried to run, but Zim bent down and caught him by the collar of his jumpsuit, lifting them into the air.

Sleck swung his knife at Zim, but could not reach him.

Zim lifted a PAK leg, stabbing the alien in the arm. He screamed and dropped the knife, the weapon clattering to the ground with a loud clanging sound.

The Irken smirked at Sleck as he saw an opening in his armor, and Zim drew his ray gun again and aimed the barrel at his opponent, his ruby eyes shining with malice. "I am afraid that is the part where you stop breathing."

He fired into the Vortian's body, once, twice, three times. When it finally ceased its movements, Zim fired two more times into Sleck's head and threw the corpse to the ground violently.

Zim hurriedly ran to Dib's side, inspecting the amount of damage the wound had done to the human. He took a breath. It was bad.

"Can anyone hear me?" Zim said into his communicator. "This is Invader Zim, and I request a medic be brought down to…" he looked at the sign above the lift. "Level 2, Section 8 immediately. We have wounded."

He ran back into the area where he had been fighting a few minutes earlier, calling out for assistance. Bodies lay everywhere, and some wounded soldiers sat slumped against walls and in corners as they tended to their own injuries, but not a single life form offered their services.

All but a few of the prisoners were dead, the rest shoved back into their cages and locked up tight.

Zim would have to remember to order extra security down here moving forward, to prevent a repeat of this battle.

After the medics arrived to transport Dib to a more secure medical facility, Zim disposed of Sleck's corpse and went to his chambers to wait for news regarding Dib's condition.

He didn't truly care for the human, but what good would Dib be to him if he was dead? All that potential would be wasted, all of his work and training for nothing. Zim couldn't have that.

After some time thinking about Dib, Zim decided to torture one of the prisoners for information about thier motivations and goals regarding their failed attempt to escape the facility.

Zim made his way back down to the holding area, and walked through the doors, going up to the one he had stabbed through the stomach earlier. A medic was sewing the wound shut,and bloody pieces of cloth lay all around the cell's floor.

"Tell me, why did you want to escape this place?" Zim asked, staring him in the eyes.

The prisoner gazed at him with a sneer on its face. "Why should I tell you? What do I have to gain?"

Zim waited, tapping his claws against the wall. Finally he said, "One of my own is seriously injured. If you do not tell me what your plan was, I will gouge out both of your eyes. It will be slow, and you will feel every second of it. And then I will kill you. So, I can either do that, or you can tell me what I want to know, and nothing will happen to you. It's your decision."

The prisoner scoffed, clearly not believing Zim's claim. "You won't do shit, Irken. I know the rules here. None of your kind are allowed to even touch us unless we start something with you, or if we're involved in an emergency situation." He leaned forward. "The answer is no."

Zim shrugged. "Very well. I gave you a choice, and you chose the wrong one."

He looked at the medic. "Leave us, please."

The medic hurried out when Zim opened the cell door, and the Irken stepped in and closed the door again.

Extending three of his PAK legs, Zim moved toward his target. "You should have been more cooperative. Why do you slaves always feel the desire to rebel against us?"

Zim pinned him to the wall with two of his mechanical legs, and used the third one to begin the torture.

"Just remain very still. It will be over soon." He said softly "We can stop whenever you decide to cooperate."

He dug the tip of the leg into the prisoner's eye, and the sound of screaming was heard as it was thrust deeper in.

Zim began to giggle with excitement. This was what he was meant for, and to him, this was what true happiness was.

With his fourth PAK leg, he stabbed the alien in the stomach, in the very same place Dib was injured.

He never wanted to stop.


	9. Chapter 9

Zim came into Dib's hospital room a few hours later. He had changed into a new uniform, the one he had worn when he captured Dib.

The human was awake, watching some show on the projection screen in the wall across his bed.

"How are you feeling?" The Irken asked, leaning against the wall next to Dib's bed.

Dib turned to him and shrugged. "Been better. This is the first time I've ever been stabbed, though."

Zim nodded in understanding. He'd been stabbed once. It wasn't a good feeling.

"What happened to the Vortian who did this to me?" Dib asked, still staring at the show he was watching.

"I killed him," Zim said, looking away. "He won't hurt you again."

"That's good." The human said nervously. He turned to look at Zim. "What did your leaders want to talk to you about? I mean, I know it was about me, but… you know. It's probably none of my business, I'm just curious, I guess."

The Irken hesitated, wondering wether it would be a good idea to divulge such information to his former enemy, thinking for a second about their battles back on Urth, and the lengths that Dib would go to acquire answers to his burning questions.

Then Zim felt the weight of his ray gun, holstered snugly against his hip, and he remembered that he had all the power, he was the one calling the shots now, and he no longer had to be afraid of the past anymore. That had been a long time ago.

"They…. want me to stop speaking with you," he said slowly, his hand instinctively moving to rest on the grip of his weapon, muscles tightening in reflex, preparing to pull it out and fire if necessary. "They are worried."

Dib gave him a look of confusion. "Why would they be worried about me? I just clean their rooms and stuff."

"They seem to think that you are corrupting me. Making me soft. Weak."

Zim mentally berated himself. He should leave before it gets worse than it already was. He was sure that he was being watched now. He felt eyes on his back.

 _Kill him now._ A voice said in his mind. _No one would care. They would be relieved. He knows too much. He is a threat to you._

He ignored the voice, releasing his grip on the gun and lowering his arm to his side, his fingers twitching in worry.

"Oh," was all Dib said in response, shifting in his bed. "Okay."

"I am beginning to question my Tallests' leadership," Zim said, sitting down on the foot of Dib's hospital bed. "I do not believe that they have the right goals in mind for you."

"The right goals?" Dib asked, clearly confused. "What does that mean?"

Zim sighed. "To be clear, I wanted more for you. I wanted to give you the chance to become something more than what you were before, and you've grown exponentially in those areas since I took you with me to be here."

He stared at the monitors regulating his human's body functions, heartbeats, ect. "But my Tallest do not understand my fascination with you. I believed that they intended to make the most use of you as was possible, but again I let my own expectations prevent me from seeing the truth. They never intended to make you anything more than a slave. A janitor, of all things. Disrespecting your capabilities."

Dib was confused. "Isn't that what you wanted this whole time? To make me your slave?"

"I wanted you to serve alongside me, Dib." Zim said, his voice hardening at the thought of so many years wasted trying to please his leaders. Now he saw the truth. "You could have become someone who was feared, and that's what I believe is happening now." He met Dib's eyes. "The Tallest are beginning to fear you. I do not know why or how, but they feel threatened by your mere presence, and now, maybe that is a good thing."

There was a silence hanging in the air for a few minutes after that as Zim was lost in his thoughts.

 _If they were removed from their positions, what would happen to me?_ Zim thought. _What would happen to Dib?_

The silence became suffocating, and he stood up. He had made his decision.

"I have to go, but I will come back tomorrow to check on you. I will have one of my servants bring you some food and juice for this evening." He started to walk out of the room.

"Zim?" Dib spoke up.

The Irken turned around and faced the human.

"Thank you. For not killing me when you had the chance to, back on Urth."

Zim grinned, amused by his change of heart. "I knew you'd see it my way."

He left.

Zim stood before his leaders an hour later to inform them of his progress. Unfortunately, the Tallest had other plans for him.

"We gave you a direct order, Zim, and you disobeyed us," Red said angrily. "We were informed by one of your fellow Elites that you were caught conspiring with the human, so now you must face the consequences. You will be demoted, stripped of your rank, and sent off-world to Devastis, far away from your human pet. Starting now, you are no longer an Invader."

"My Tallest, I implore you to reconsider!" Zim said desperately. "My only reason for my disobedience was to show you what he could do in the correct environment! He can be an asset to us! Let me have-"

"There will be no more chances, Zim," Red interrupted, holding up a clawed hand.

"Yeah!" Purple echoed while he stuffed his face with brownies. "No more chances!"

Zim tried to speak again, but Red made a gesture, and three Elite guards approached him from behind. His heart skipped a beat.

"Arrest him and take him to Devastis to be executed," Red ordered.

Executed. Killed.

Zim began to panic, and out of desperation his hand moved to his blaster and yanked it out of its holster, and just as the guards were about to grab hm, he spun around and held his finger down on the trigger, causing the ray gun to fire multiple rounds of deadly plasma.

The blasts chewed right through the guards' armor, disintegrating their skin and organs around the points of impact as they fell lifeless to the floor.

He whirled around to face his Tallest again, pointing the weapon at them now. "You will listen to me, and do as I say, or the both of you will die."

Their eyes were wide with shock, and their mouths hung open. Then Red growled and slammed his fist on his armrest. "EVERYBODY IN THIS ROOM, I ORDER YOU TO KILL ZIM! RIGHT NOW!"

Nobody moved. Zim's eyes narrowed, his gun still pointed at his Tallest. "I don't think that is a good idea, sirs. None of these Irkens are trained for combat."

"ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND MONIES TO THE FIRST IRKEN WHO KILLS ZIM!" Purple shouted.

That did it.

Before Zim knew it, he was being swarmed by Comms officers and Navigators, Service Drones and Janitors.

Some used their fists and feet, and those who did were easily defeated. A select few had weapons and blasters, and they were more difficult, but Zim managed to overpower them, too.

Until he got shot.

He felt a surge of searing hot pain rip through his side, and Zim screamed and stumbled, slapping a hand to the wound. He located the source of the blast, the one hiding in the corners under an alcove, and swiftly executed him.

He felt warmth down his side, and he knew he was bleeding. He lifted a trembling arm and reached into his PAK for some gauze, using it to cover his wound. He lifted his shirt, and hissed through his teeth when he saw it. The damage was bad, he needed medical attention.

He had just finished wrapping the gauze around his torso when he was tackled from behind. He had missed one of them.

The other Irken had a knife, which he tried to thrust into Zim's chest, but the Invader knocked the weapon out of his hand and shoved him away, grabbing him by the throat and ascending into the air on his PAK legs.

Zim put the barrel of his ray gun to this captive's head, flinching at the pain such an action brought him. The gauze fell from his grasp onto the carpeted floor, rolling away. He ignored it.

"Now, you will listen to my demands, or this one gets his brains splattered all over your pretty walls." Zim said threateningly.

"NO!" Purple yelled. "DON'T KILL HIM, HE MAKES OUR FOOD SOMETIMES!"

Zim smirked. "Then it seems that I now possess a valuable bargaining chip. How lucky I must be."

He could feel his blood soaking through the gauze now. It dripped softly onto the carpet below him. Pink liquid clashing with the blue floor.

Maybe he was dying, he didn't know. That didn't matter right now.

"Zim, listen to us." Purple began. "We are-"

"NO, YOU LISTEN TO ME!" Zim shouted, shooting him in the leg. Purple screamed and slumped over in pain. "I am finished with all of this. I have had enough of your lies!"

He pointed his gun at Red. "I will not die! I cannot be erased! I will kill both of you before that happens!"

"What do you want?" Red asked, secretly pressing a button under his armrest.

"I want a ship to fly off-world, preferably a Viral Tank." Zim

said, his eyes shining with confidence. "I will be going to safer areas of the galaxy, places you cannot reach. I also want Dib to come with me, so I may continue his training without any interference or interruptions."

"Granted," Red said. "Now release the chef."

"No, he will be staying with me until Dib and I reach a docking platform and board our ship." Zim said coldly. "After that, if you are still cooperating, he will be returned to you unharmed."

"We will agree to those terms." Purple said instantly.

Zim nodded. "Good. Do not try anything, or you will regret ever crossing me."

The door slid open when he scuttled near, and the Irken slipped out of the room and into the halls, racing toward the docking platforms.


	10. Chapter 10

Zim scurried out of the building and onto the landing platforms, still keeping a firm grip on the Irken he had taken hostage. Just as he was nearing his new ship, the sound of voices came from behind him.

"There!" They shouted. "Shoot him dead!"

Laserfire began shooting past him while he hurried his pace. Bolts of pure deadly energy just barely missing him. He saw Dib inside, cleaning the hallway. Their eyes locked for a split second, and then the human was dropping the broom and running toward him, a look of fear etched onto his face.

"What did you do?!" Dib shouted above the noise of blasterfire.

"That's not important right now!" Zim said as he exchanged fire with his attackers. "Just get onto the ship and get it ready. We're leaving the planet!"

The human ran into the ship while Zim continued firing, killing a few of them. The rest took up positions around the platform and took various forms of cover to hide behind.

Zim felt an agonizing pain and fell to the ground, his hostage falling with him. They hit the ground and his only advantage tore himself free, but was then shot dead in the ensuing crossfire. One look at his PAK legs told Zim that one of them had been shot off. Now unable to use them for their intended use, he bolted into the ship and closed the hatch, slamming the button to activate the shields.

He turned around and stumbled into the cabin area with the intent to rest, but found himself facing yet another threat.

His guards had betrayed him. They stood in the center of the room, holding Dib close to them, a blade to his throat.

"End of the line." One of them sneered at him. "The Tallest have deemed you a traitor to the Empire, and we have orders to kill both you and your human pet."

Zim's body tensed, and now he was all too aware of the blood spilling from his body. Why wasn't his PAK healing him? It shouldn't take this long. It's NEVER taken this long before.

He managed a pained smile. "I should have suspected you would betray me eventually. How foolish I've been, to believe otherwise."

"Looks like someone already beat us to you," the one holding the knife said. "You look half dead already, and with that wound you've got?" He laughed. "One hundred monies says you'll be dead before dawn tomorrow. Maybe sooner."

Zim's vision swam, and he stumbled, holding onto the wall to stay upright. "We will see."

"Maybe we won't kill you. Maybe we'll just kill your pet, and leave you to die on your own time. Saves us the trouble."

Through his hazy vision, Zim thought he saw Dib slowly pulling out his knife. Did they really not check him for weapons? What a stupid decision.

Zim raises his arms in mock surrender. "Okay, I'm done. I give up. Just don't kill him."

"Too late," they said, just as Dib stuck him in the side with the knife.

The guard screamed in surprise and pain, and Zim quickly brought out his ray gun and shot the other guard before they could recover from their shock.

The Irken sighed in relief, wincing at the pain breathing caused him. "Good work, Dib," he said weakly.

"I had to. I didn't have a choice," Dib said, sounding like he was trying to convince himself.

More soldiers arrived at the landing dock.

"Now, take them outside... and throw them…over the edge...of the platform." Zim said breathlessly, sinking into a red couch. He pulled out his ray gun and held it out to Dib. "And after that, I need you… to use this to return fire... with the ones who are shooting at us."

Dib stared at Zim, his focus shifting between the danger outside and the injured Irken. "I can't. I don't want to make this situation worse for us."

"You've killed before," Zim said, groaning as he shifted onto his side, blood leaking between his fingers. "It gets easier."

"Zim, I think you might be dying. That wound is REALLY bad."

"Death…is inevitable," Zim said, his voice thick with pain. "Everything dies, Dib. Even stars burn out eventually."

"We have to get you some help."

Zim coughed out blood, catching it in his hands. He got out an Irken napkin and wiped it off. "It is too late now."

A blast rocked the ship, but the shields held, just barely.

"Zim, the ship's shields won't last much longer." Dib said frantically as an alarm sounded in the cockpit. "We need to get into the air and get out of here. We'll die if we stay."

"Shut up and shoot them," the alien replied, his voice barely audible.

Dib stared at Zim, his mind racing with possible solutions. He had Zim's weapon, he could free himself right now. He could run away and never see his old enemy ever again. It would all be so easy. So simple.

Then the ships shields failed, and they were rocked with another direct hit on their thrusters. Dib had no choice now. He had to defend the both of them, or they would not live to see another day.

He gripped the weapon and leaned out the windows, firing off a few shots here and there. He hit one or two of them, but ultimately didn't do much. Zim had never had the time to teach him the basics of Irken firearms.

He wondered if the ship had cannons or weapons of its own. He raced to the pilots seat and studied the panels, smiling when he saw a button that read 'lasers.' He pressed it, and a few seconds later a command came on screen. "Fire guns? Y/N.'

Dib pressed 'Yes,' and the cannons began firing, puncturing holes in their assailant's bodies and leaving them down for the count.

He turned away from the consoles, his body trembling with adrenaline and fear, amazed at what he had just done. He'd killed again, and eliminated the immediate threat, but he didn't feel any safer.

"What do I do now, Zim?" He asked, only to receive no response. He turned around. "Zim?"

The Irken was lying on the couch, unmoving and silent except for the erratic twitching of his antennae every few seconds. The bleeding had stopped.

Dib began to grow frantic. He ran over and started to shake him. "Zim! Zim, can you hear me?!"

No response. His eyes were closed and he wasn't moving. Dib put his hand to Zim's mouth to check for breathing, but felt nothing. The alien's uniform and the couch he was lying on were both soaked with pink blood, and the human was on the verge of hyperventilating.

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit…" he panted, rushing to the cockpit and activating the ship's thrusters and piloting the vessel into space. One of the thrusters had trouble activating and sparks shot out of it as it struggled to function.

Nevertheless, Dib managed to get the ship out of Irk's orbit and into space before it cut out completely. He told the computer to take control of the vessel while he checked on Zim.

Dib gently removed Zim's shirt, which was now sticky with blood, to see the full extent of the damage, and was shocked speechless at what he discovered. As he slowly peeled off the makeshift bandages, the stench hit him. It smelled like a decaying corpse.

He could see bone. One of Zim's ribs was visible, and blackened with scorch marks. Dib slowly rolled him over and checked for an exit wound, and was relieved when he saw one, though it had gone straight through Zim's spine. Honestly, the human was amazed that the Irken had lasted this long without any medical assistance, let alone been able to walk.

Any normal human would be dead, or at least crippled for life, but not Zim. Dib figured that he had the PAK to thank for that.

Grabbing the Irken under the arms, Dib gently lifted him off the couch and set him on the floor. He checked for a heartbeat, but again felt nothing.

"Ship, are there any planets nearby that would be willing to treat Irkens?" He asked frantically. "He's not breathing!"

"There is one planet matching that description, but it is under the control of the Irken Empire." The computer confirmed. "Proceed to planet?"

"No, not that one!" Dib shook his head. "Are there any of them outside of Irk's influence?"

"Scanning…" the computer began searching.

Dib hurried it along.

"There is one matching your request, the planet Plookesia." The computer confirmed, much to Dib's joy. "But it is a three hour trip."

"We can make it work! Set a course for that planet, and hurry it up! We need to get there as soon as possible!" Dib ordered.

The computer complied with his command, and redirected the ship's flight path to arrive at Plookesia.


	11. Chapter 11

" _Come on, you can do this!" Zim said as he swung his knife at Dib in a sweeping arc. "Block and counter! Find an opening and take advantage!"_

 _Dib was breathing hard. They had been training for almost two hours today, and Zim was pushing him to his limit. His body ached, and his lungs were burning. He was denied a chance to rest._

 _"The enemy will not allow you time to rest, Dib!" Zim had said when the human had asked for a break. "You would be fighting for your very life, and if you fail there would be no do-overs!"_

 _The Irken darted closer and moved to kick him in the chest, but Dib saw it coming and raised his arms, successfully blocking the attack._

 _"Very good." Zim praised. "You're getting better."_

 _Dib leaned against the wall, sweat dripping down his face. He got a towel from a hook nearby and wiped it away, finally feeling like he was getting somewhere. These last few days had been so exhausting._

 _"The enemy could have other weapons besides knives, of course, but we will focus on that tomorrow." Zim explained."You are doing well against them with one, but let's see how you do against someone who has two."_

 _He pulled out another knife, and swung, scraping Dib's cheek. The human flinched and backed away._

 _"I know you can do better!" Zim encouraged him. "Just like before, look for an opening, some place on my body that is not defended, and strike there."_

 _The human kicked out and hit Zim's knee, causing the alien to lose his balance and fall to the ground. He raised his weapon to 'finish' him, but Zim quickly raised his leg and slammed his boot into Dib's stomach, knocking the wind out of him and pushing him away._

 _"You are still full of surprises after all," Zim said while he stood up. "That is good, it will keep your opponent on their toes."_

 _He took a combative stance, holding his knives in front of him. "Go again. Give it your all this time. Don't hold anything back."_

 _He began to fight, and pushed Dib harder than he ever had before._

XXX

Dib thought back on his training sessions with Zim, trying to remember if he had taught him anything about what to do if he or anyone else were injured in combat.

Zim still lay on the couch, and Dib was rooting through cupboards and different rooms on the ship, trying to find something to patch up the festering injury before it became infected.

One room had been filled with nothing but spare parts from PAKS, and yet another one had been filled with spare ammo and weapons, for the purpose of ground assaults on planets that had been marked for conquest by the Empire.

He sighed and sat down in a chair, thinking back again to a few days prior, when Zim had told him what to do in the event that their ship was being attacked.

XXX

 _"Zim, why doesn't this ship have escape pods?" Dib asked, worried for their safety._

 _The Irken stared at him from the couch he was lounging on, watching some sort of alien show on the ship's holo-screen. "It used to, but the previous crew used them to flee from space pirates who had boarded with the intent to kill. Why is it so important that you know?"_

 _"Because I need to know that we have a way off of the ship in case we're about to get blown up one day or something!" Dib responded, frustrated with Zim's obvious lack of concern for their safety._

 _"Don't worry about that, Dib-smell." Zim replied, eyes fixed on his program. "If that ever happens, which is unlikely if we continue to obey our orders, then we will fight to our last breath. We will die with honor and dignity, like a true soldier would."_

 _"But the whole point of escape pods is NOT to die, Zim!" Dib yelled. "You can't have a ship without escape pods unless you're on a mission that you know you won't come back from!"_

 _"You shouldn't be afraid of dying." Zim said calmly. "It happens to everyone and everything, and we are no exception."_

 _"What if we get attacked and boarded by space pirates, or something even more dangerous, and they kill you? What would I do?"_

 _"In the event that I am killed and you survive, I will be thrown out of the airlock into space, where I will drift aimlessly, to prevent the enemy from dissecting my PAK and learning the Empire's secrets."_

 _"But what about me?" Dib asked. "What would happen to me?"_

 _Zim shrugged. "I don't know, Dib. Whatever they decide to do with you, I guess. Though, you are more than welcome to kill yourself before they capture you, if that ever becomes reality."_

 _"We die together?" Dib asked nervously._

 _Zim smiled. "Yes. We die together."_

XXX

Dib had been looking for over an hour, combing every nook and cranny of the ship's interior rooms for something, anything, that would help Zim heal his wounds and restore the alien to his former glory.

He came across a room labeled 'MEDICAL SUPPLIES,' and his hopes increased drastically as he approached the door and turned to handle. It opened with little resistance, and Dib cheered with relief as a smile broke out across his face. He had finally found something useful.

He immediately began rooting through boxes, and after a few minutes he found one that looked promising. Picking up the container and dumping it out, he found all sorts of needs and syringes, bottles and vials of potions and healing supplements.

Not knowing which one to use, he put them all back and just took the whole box back to the cabin of the ship to test them on Zim.

Dib set the box down beside the Irken's still form, and pulled out a syringe that supposedly contained healing properties.

"Okay, Zim, let's see if this works." He said softly.

He inserted the needle into the alien's arm, and pressed down on the plunger.

XXX

 _Dib sat on the couch in his room, looking out the window and onto the bustling city below. Irkens were a busy species, and he had learned much about Irk, even though he had only been on the planet for a little over a day._

 _His door opened, and he turned as Zim walked in. "How do you like your room? Are you comfortable here?"_

 _Dib shrugged. "Its a lot nicer than I was expecting it to be. Your species has good taste."_

 _Zim grinned. "We like our guests to feel welcome here, preferably even more so if they are allies to our cause." He walked up and sat beside the human. "This room was only reserved for allies who have a great importance to us,"_

 _"I'm important to you?"_

 _"Of course. I am preparing you to become a brilliant soldier, am I not?" Zim said. "I would consider that an honor. Especially if you are serving such an advanced race like my own."_

 _Dib looked down towards the buildings and shops that lined the streets. "I don't feel important. I just feel lonely. Unwanted."_

 _"As long as I am with you, you will never be alone." Zim stood up. "I came to inform you that it is nearly time for dinner, and I would like you to eat with me and a few others this evening. We are celebrating the conquest of the planet Sylvestra."_

 _"Okay." Dib agreed. "That sounds fine."_

 _Zim smiled. "Excellent. The others will be pleased to be introduced to a human, and perhaps you might get to know a few things about them as well. We will eat in about an hour, so you might want to look somewhat presentable. I will come get you when its time."_

XXX

Dib held his breath as the syringe was emptied, and he waited.

At first, nothing happened. But after a few minutes of anxious waiting, Dib was struck with amazement as the alien's wound began to mend itself. The bones fixed themselves, and muscle and skin began to repair and regenerate themselves before his very eyes.

Zim's antennae began twitching more erratically, and fingers spasmed as his muscles started working again. His chest began rising and falling as he resumed breathing.

Dib felt himself began to grow more relieved with each passing second. He gently shook the now former Invader, being careful not to get any of Zim's blood on his clothes.

"Zim? Zim, can you hear me?" He asked softly.

Magenta eyes met deep brown ones.

"D-Dib?" Zim asked weakly.

"Yeah, yeah its me, space boy." The human confirmed, putting a hand on Zim's back to support him as the alien sat up.

Zim looked around, eyes settling on the blood-stained couch. "I died, didn't I?"

"I think so, yeah."

The Irken stared. "I was correct, then. There is nothing, as I suspected."

That revelation chilled Dib to the bone.


	12. Chapter 12

Zim groaned as he stood up, hand on his side. He pointed to a drawer. "Open that drawer, and give me what's inside."

Dib was unsure, shifting his weight uncomfortably. "Are you sure you should be moving right now? You literally just woke up. Maybe you should rest?"

"Just do it, please."

The human did as instructed, opening the drawer and finding another syringe filled with a strange liquid. "What is it?" He asked, holding it up.

"For the pain. It still hurts, so I must not be fully healed yet." Zim explained while he took the syringe from Dib and injected the substance into his upper arm.

Once he had emptied the liquid, the Irken headed toward the back of the ship. "I'm going to change into a new uniform. This one is ruined now."

Dib nodded and sat down on the couch across from the one Zim had been lying on, and waited.

Zim was quick, and came back out a minute later, wearing a fresh shirt and pants, similar to the ones he had to dispose of.

The human observed silently as the alien walked over to the cockpit and pressed a few buttons on the console.

"You used the ship's weapons?" Zim asked rhetorically, his tone of voice hardening, the onset of frustration. His eyes were still directed on the flashing console. "And set a course for Plookesia?"

Dib shifted uncomfortably, hoping that Zim wouldn't be angry with him. "Uh, yeah." he said hesitantly. "I looked for planets that could treat Irkens, and apparently that's one of them. They're outside of the Empire's jurisdictions for now, so maybe we'll be okay there."

Zim turned to him, his eyes narrowed, and Dib knew that wasn't a good sign. "I didn't tell you to use the ship. I gave you my own weapon, and that should have been more than enough to fight them off."

"I… there were a lot of them, Zim. They would have swarmed us. I had to do something."

The Irken pointed to the flashing lights on the console. "Do you see those lights? That's not good! This ship has a limited amount of ammunition, and you used half of it killing those other Irkens!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know!" Dib said, shrinking a bit under Zim's piercing glare. "You never told me."

"If I wanted you to use the ship's guns, I would TELL YOU!" Zim barked harshly. He grabbed his ammo belt and shook it lightly. "I have enough to last us several days! This should be all that you need!"

"But I was only trying to help!" Dib argued before he could stop the words from leaving his mouth. "You were hurt, and I was panicking, and-"

"Are you questioning my authority?" Zim interrupted, and Dib saw the Irken's hand resting on the handle of the knife clipped to his belt.

"No, I'm not." Dib said immediately, taking a step back. "I'm sorry. I'll listen next time, I promise."

"Good." Zim's hand lowered back down to his side, and the human relaxed.

The boy sighed and looked away submissively. "I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't." Zim replied. He sighed and turned away, staring out the window at the passing clusters of stars and space debris.

They were both quiet for a few minutes, Zim stewing in his obvious anger, and Dib remaining silent for fear that the alien might decide to hurt him if he said anything more.

Finally, Zim was the one to break the silence.

"I suppose Plookesia would be a good place to start," he said slowly. "Any planet that the Tallest doesn't control is well enough for me. My only hope is that they treat us fairly decent while we are occupying their home."

"What do you know about them?" Dib asked curiously, turning away from the window to look at Zim. "The Plookesians, I mean?"

"There wasn't much information about their species in the databanks back on Irk, so I unfortunately do not possess very much knowledge about their way of life," Zim responded, his mind occupied on the knife he was twirling in his left hand. "On a more positive note, this will present to us a good opportunity to study them further."

Dib agreed.

"However, what little information I do know about them is that they are essentially a neutral party in the war, and don't seem to have any intention of wanting to join either side." Zim said with a hint of disdain in his voice. "Though perhaps if we are lucky, we will be able to change their minds and allow them to join our cause."

"And what is our cause now?" Dib questioned, though a small voice in the back of his mind told him it wasn't anything good.

Zim looked him in the eyes, his gaze piercing and his expression dark and eager.

"It was once something that was effective and useful, but one which ultimately did not come to pass." He said lowly. "The legacy of the Empire is one that will not remain for much longer, and now there is only one singular vision. MY vision."

Dib did not like the way he was talking. It sounded like something he did not want to take part in. Still he dared to ask, very quietly, his burning question.

"What is your plan for the future?"

The look Zim gave him was chilling. His eyes were alight with feral and evil intent.

"Even the Tallest can die. With their deaths, Irken society will quickly collapse with no one to rule them. The Control Brains will eventually assign a new Tallest, but by that time, we will have eliminated most of our opposition."

Dib felt his throat go dry. "And after that?" He asked in a whisper.

"Complete and total annihilation of all who remain loyal to their original vision. My vision, my ideals, will be all that anyone will know until the end of time."

The human felt an invisible fist wrap tightly around his heart.

"If I cannot control even one planet now, then those which resist me in the future will face complete and total annihilation." Zim continued. "Pleas for mercy and compassion will go unheard, and if they choose to rebel, their entire world will be decimated. There will be no survivors. Not even one."

"What...what about the children?" Dib asked softly. "What about them?"

"They will share the fate of their families."

"Zim, I think that maybe that's a little too much." The human said objectively.

"It would be a necessary solution to a permanent problem." The Irken said, dismissing Dib's concerns. "It will come to fruition, and it will happen soon. Nothing shall change or influence my ultimate goal.

"And me?"

The former Invader put away his knife, and his next few words carried a tone which Dib knew to be truthful.

"Cooperate, and you just might survive until the end. Otherwise, you will die with the rest of them."


	13. Chapter 13

As they entered Plookesia's atmosphere and neared the landing platform, a voice crackled over the ship's console.

"Unidentified Irken craft, you are not authorized for landing. Please relay the proper information."

"Authorization code ZB6551549. This is Irken Invader Zim requesting clearance to land." Zim spoke into the comm device.

"Permission granted. Proceed to landing docks."

They touched down on the planet's surface and switched off the engines, and a Plookesian walked up to meet them as the ramp lowered.

"Welcome to Plookesia!" The alien greeted them while they exited the ship. Dib thought this particular species looked a little strange. It had its arms where its head should be, and its head was in a container where a human's stomach would usually be located. He did not say anything about it though, not wanting to seem rude, and chose to simply overlook it. Every species was different, after all. "My name is Garlow, and we are honored to be in your service!"

"We are pleased to make your acquaintance." Zim spoke up, looking the alien in the eyes. "I am Zim, and the human is Dib. We are in need of some assistance, if you can provide it for us."

"What kind of assistance?" Garlow asked, still grinning warmly. "We are happy to help in any way we can!"

"Our ship's thrusters are in need of repair." Zim explained patiently. "They were damaged in combat with enemy forces."

Garlow nodded and carefully examined the Irken, looking him up and down slowly as his smile fell away, his gaze especially interested in the holstered ray gun and knives on Zim's belt. "You look like you're ready for battle. Are you a soldier in the Irken military, then?"

"I no longer serve the Armada," Zim replied immediately. "I have chosen my own path to follow."

"I see," the Plookesian muttered. "Not many Irkens are able or willing enough to defy their own leaders. You are unique. Special."

"I was one of the best Elites in the Armada." Zim said as he looked around the platform, studying his surroundings for danger. "I only followed orders issued directly by the Tallest."

"What compelled you to leave, little Irken?" Garlow wondered curiously. "Surely it could not have been your decision alone."

Dib saw Zim's fists clench at being called 'little,' which was no surprise to the human. The ex-Invader had always been easily offended by comments referring to his size, whether they be insults or not.

"Several events influenced my decision, but ultimately I decided to leave of my own accord. I think I am better off seeking a new purpose, considering how things are now. War brings out the…" Zim paused for a second, thinking of the correct term. "…evil in all of us. It makes us desperate and fearful, which in turn leads to us making poor decisions."

Garlow nodded in understanding. Then he grinned again. "Well, I've taken up enough of your time, and I'm sure you have better things to do at the moment. I will have some of my engineers take a look at your ship, and you should be able to leave again in no time!"

Zim smiled. "Excellent. We will leave you to your work. Come along, Dib." He grabbed the human's arm and gently pulled him along. The young human reluctantly followed him into the building that was adjoined with the landing platform.

"What was that about?" Dib asked once they were safely inside and out of earshot. "All that talk of war and the Empire?"

Zim stopped walking, and turned to him. "I was testing his stance, seeing what he thought of the current situation. He seemed to agree with my statements, so there might be hope that it will work out after all."

Dib sighed. "Zim, do you know how much work and effort it will take to get them to change their minds? We would need resources that we don't have, not to mention an absolute shitload of ships, proper currency and weapons!"

"I have told you not to doubt me." The Irken growled. "I know what I'm doing, and this WILL work out long-term. I do understand that this is a process, and it will take time to unfold, so please be patient. The payoff will be worth it."

"But they might not even want to join you at all." Dib objected, ignoring the way Zim's eyes narrowed in anger and his hand was reaching for his belt. "They could just turn us over to the Empire in exchange for their own freedom! You really should take some time to-"

He fell silent when Zim pulled out one of his knives and pressed the tip of the blade to the spot directly under his lower jaw.

"I could still kill you, if you would prefer that instead." He hissed in a low voice. "Here. Now. Is that what you want me to do?"

Dib quickly shook his head, painfully aware of his mouth going dry as the blade dug in deeper and lightly pierced his skin, the heat from the knife making him flinch. "No, you don't need to do that."

Zim did not remove the knife from Dib's jaw, standing there silently and tightening his grip on the handle. Dib's heart pounded in his chest, a million thoughts racing through his brain.

"I really don't see what further use I could have for you," the Irken said, looking up at his former enemy. "My original plan did not involve you at all, so I think that you should be grateful that you are still alive, however long that may last. In fact, I feel I must inform you that part of me wants to just dispose of you now,"

They were alone in the hallway. A thin red and gold-colored layer of carpeting lined the floors of the building, and the walls were a pale blue shade. Normally Dib would have found this appealing, but he was not focused on the interior decorating at the moment.

"Your lack of respect and appreciation has been eating at me," Zim said softly. "It has been difficult lately, but I am trying not to give into the temptation to cut your throat open." The knife was adjusted so that it was now pressing against the human's throat. The alien brushed it lightly against the skin. "I really want to kill you, but I also don't want to stain these beautiful halls with your blood. It would make quite a mess."

"Please don't," Dib whimpered, hating how scared he sounded, because he honestly was pretty frightened. "I can still be useful. I promise I'll be better. I promise."

"Convince me. Give me a reason."

Dib tried to, but came up empty. "What if I can't?"

In response, Zim gently scraped the blade across his throat, slow and careful. "Before you could even lift a finger. I have been alive since long before you were born, and I shall still exist long after you expire, but if you have no purpose, what good are you to me now?"

"I...I can help you fight off potential threats," Dib said desperately. "I can fly the ship when you're not able to, I can help you prepare if you ever meet anyone important. If you do this, all that time training me will be for nothing. You would have betrayed your leaders for nothing."

"I would have betrayed them eventually." Zim said, no emotion in his voice or expressions. "I have been dissatisfied with them for a long time, Dib. It only took my PAK being repaired to realize it."

"I can be useful," Dib said again. "I was trained to be a soldier, wasn't I?"

"You were indeed," Zim confirmed, "although your progress has been… less than satisfactory, as of late."

"Then keep doing that, keep training me, and you'll get what you want."

Zim did not move for a little while, thinking it over, and it felt like the longest few seconds of Dib's life. Finally, he lowered the knife. "We will see," he said, putting away the weapon. "I hope I am making the right decision."

"You are." Dib said, still trying to calm down and slow his rapidly pounding heart. He wiped at his throat, and his fingers came away coated with blood. He hoped that it wasn't as bad as he thought it was. At least he was still breathing. That was always good.


	14. Chapter 14

They continued walking down the halls and exploring the building, Dib still shaken from the experience mere moments ago. He had cleaned up the blood from where Zim had cut him, and he was trembling with adrenaline and shock.

Zim, meanwhile, had walked further down the hall, studying the artwork hanging on one of the walls.

He turned towards the human and softly whistled a single note to get his attention. "Hey, come see this one." He said as he glanced back to the artwork. "It's pretty fascinating."

Dib walked over and examined it. The image depicted a war, with a soldier clad in armor standing over his defeated foe, holding up their severed head for all to see. Behind him, opposing forces were locked in battle, while showers of blood and weapons flung in all directions.

"This one really speaks to me," Zim said softly to himself. He turned to Dib. "Do you think they will let us take this when we leave? I think it would look great in my resting quarters."

"I don't know," Dib squeaked out, taking a step back from Zim as he was seized by a sudden fear.

The Irken looked at him, his face a mess of confusion. "What's wrong with you?" He asked. "Are you sick?"

He shook his head, an image of Zim slitting his throat down to the bone flashed in his brain. His breathing intensified.

"You look pale," Zim observed, his voice showing no concerns at all. He reached into his PAK and retrieved a vial of strange liquid, holding it out to Dib. "Here, drink this. It will help with whatever is affecting you."

Dib started shaking his head in defiance as it became more difficult to breathe. "No, I'm fine," he said weakly. "I'm good."

"Drink it or I will cut off one of your fingers," Zim demanded, shoving the vial into Dib's hands.

One look at the alien's face told Dib that he was completely serious, so he slowly brought the strange concoction to his lips and drank it. It tasted a little like cherry-flavored juice. It seemed to take effect immediately after he had swallowed, and made his body feel warm and relaxed, which he supposed was a good thing.

"Feel better?" Zim asked, watching him closely with those ruby-colored eyes burning deep into his soul.

"Yeah," Dib said slowly, amazed that it worked. "I think I do."

"Good," the Irken said, turning away and continuing to stroll down the hallway, examining the artwork lining the walls.

When they entered one of the rooms, this one having purple walls and red floors with a gold ceiling, a Plookiesian servant walked up to Zim and bent down to his height, whispering something into his antennae.

Zim nodded in answer to whatever was said, and the servant left the room.

"What did they say?" Dib asked curiously while he watched the servant depart into another section of the building.

"The Plookesian who is in charge of the planet has invited us to eat with them while he and I discuss the terms of our inevitable partnership." Zim said. "You will be accompanying me while we negotiate."

"What could I possibly do to help?" Dib asked, confused by this change in topic. "I'm not like you."

His arm was gripped with force, clawed fingers digging into his skin. "That doesn't mean that you can't still be of use. They gave us directions to the dining room. Its not far from here, just a few minutes away toward the back of the building."

Zim turned and left the room. "Come."

Dib followed obediently, deciding that sticking with Zim was obviously the best option for now, to prevent getting lost in this massive building.

After a few minutes of walking, they entered a large dining hall, with a gold-plated ceiling tiles and a decent sized table set in the middle of the room.

Armed guards stood at attention on both sides of the room, and flanking the leader himself.

"Greetings!" The alien sitting at the head of the table said with a warm smile. "I am Kosav, leader and ambassador of Plookesia. How may I assist you today?"

Zim walked over and took a seat across from Kosav, while Dib sat near the Irken.

"I am Zim, and this is Dib. We are here on business." Zim introduced themselves.

Kosav straightened and stood up, looking surprised. "Zim, you said? Irken Invader Zim?"

The Irken nodded. "The very same."

"It is a privilege to make your acquaintance," the Plookesian said as he bowed slightly in respect. "I have heard much about you and your Empire. There are reports that you decimated the planet Urth and left no survivors. Is this accurate?"

Zim grinned. "It is, but that is not entirely accurate. The one sitting beside me is, at least to my knowledge, the only living human."

Kosav stared at Dib, his gaze lingering. "I see. Fascinating." He muttered in amazement. He turned back to Zim. "I have heard whispers among my people that you were deemed to be defective, and had been executed by the Tallest."

Zim's expression turned into a barely noticeable scowl at the mention of being defective.

"Well, you heard wrong," he said, his voice filled with venom as he took a drink from his cup.

"So, you are not defective, as they claim?" Kosav asked curiously, holding up his drink. One of the servants filled it again. "They are merely rumors, then?"

Zim glanced over at Dib as his antennae flattened. "Yes, just rumors."

The Plookesian nodded. "I see." He said again, finishing his food as another servant collected his plate and brought him another one piled with more delicacies. "I believe, however, that within every rumor lies a bit of truth, no matter how small."

"I suppose that could be correct," Zim agreed, as he took a bite of his meal. "Though recent events have caused me to re-think certain choices I've made."

"Some things are just that important." Kosav mused aloud.

"Indeed they are. Now, I would like to get down to business, then," Zim said, taking a sip of his drink. "The reason for our being here is the simple fact that we are wanting to seek refuge from the Armada, and my human and I will need temporary housing until we think it is safe to depart."

"Yes, of course. We have rooms available, and you are more than welcome to stay with us for as long as you wish."

"How many weapons do you have?" Zim asked conversationally. "Do you have an armory that we could access in case of an attack?"

"We have very little need for such barbaric measures," Kosav said with a hint of disgust. "Our people do just fine without them."

The Irken looked over at the guards, who carried holstered blasters and long-range weapons that were strapped to their backs. "I see that your security is equipped with all of the necessary precautions. Why do none of your servants carry those?"

"My security units are the only ones who are allowed to have such things," Kosav said. "Our civilians are not permitted to own them."

"Why is that?" Zim asked.

"To discourage any trouble." The alien cleared his throat. "We do not want any disturbances that might disrupt our non-violent way of living."

Zim thought this over for a moment, gaze downcast and far away. Then he looked back up. "So, are there any rules or regulations we must follow while we reside here?"

"As I said before, we do have a few rooms available for guests, and we will be more than willing to provide you with a place to reside while you wait for things to settle," he agreed. "However, we will need to confiscate your blasters and anything else you have that could cause harm to my civilians. For their own safety."

Hearing this, Zim shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his expression nervous. "Are… are you sure that is necessary? I think that we should really keep those with us, just in case anything happens. My human and I won't be able to defend ourselves otherwise."

"It is one of our laws," Kosav said in a soft voice. "You must abide by it if you are to stay here indefinitely."

"Will you join our cause if we comply with your wishes?" Zim asked hopefully as the guards moved to collect his blaster.

"We will consider it, but the chances are unlikely." The Plookiesian answered truthfully.

"There is no time to consider. I will need a direct answer. Now."

"Very well," Kosav said. "I am afraid that we will not be joining your war. The risks are simply too great, and I refuse to have any of my people's blood be on my hands. I am sorry, Irken Zim."

"Then you will not be acquiring our weapons." Zim stated flatly, standing up from his seat and shoving away the guard waiting for him to relinquish his ammo belt. "If you will not join us, then there is no point in continuing this discussion."

Kosav sighed. "If this is your decision, I am afraid, then, that you will not be allowed to stay here. You must leave immediately. One of my servants will escort you back to your ship, which by now should be repaired and re-fueled for you."

Dib saw Zim's body tense, and there was a scraping sound when the Irken dug his claws into the table. "I implore you to reconsider," he said, his voice tight with barely concealed anger. "We will provide you with anything you want in return for your services."

The Plookesian shook his head. "We require nothing. We have everything we could want."

"There must be something you need!" Zim exploded, his arm lashing out and swiping a vase off of the table, where it fell to the ground and shattered into pieces. "Weapons, food, exotic life forms, money or credits, SOMETHING!!"

"Again, we need nothing."

Zim gripped the table tighter, his hands shaking. Then, he stilled. "Okay, then we will try a different solution."

He reached down and pulled his blaster free from its holster, slamming it down onto the table. "I will ask once more, one final time, and then I will start killing your men, one by one, until you give me a satisfactory answer."

The Plookisian's gaze fell on the weapon in front of him. "I will not allow you to-"

"Would you be willing enough to assist us in our plan to overthrow the Empire?"

"We are a peaceful race," Kosav responded calmly. "We seek no conflict with you or your species, and only wish to live our lives the way we have always intended."

Zim was silent for a long moment, processing the response. He exhaled slowly.

"What a stupid answer," he finally spoke, "Do you really believe that your home will emerge from this war unscathed and without losses?"

"We have had no casualties or incidents thus far, and we will do our best to have it remain so." Kosav replied, placing his hands on the table to show peace.

"That kind of thinking is what gets people killed," Zim said, starting to lose his patience. "It will only ensure that your planet will be captured. If not by the Armada, then by something else. There are races out there that are far worse than anything the Empire could ever do, and it is your duty as leader to make sure that you and your people are properly protected from such threats."

"There is nothing else that I can do for you or your human, Irken Zim," Kosav said calmly. "If you do not want to follow our rules, that is up to you, but besides fixing and fueling your ship for you, we can offer no further assistance."

"I am trying to not cause any more trouble, but you are making things difficult," Zim snarled, slamming his hands down on the table and leaning forward. "I want our groups to co-exist in a respectful manner so that we may help each other, and you are not being very cooperative."

The guards moved forwards, but Kosav put up a hand to stop them. "Now is not the time for bloodshed."

Zim picked up his blaster. "It will be, if you do not agree to join us."

Hearing this, Dib got up from his seat and tried to leave the room, but Zim grabbed his arm. "Stay. Sit down." He muttered, his gaze still on the alien sitting across from him.

Having no other options, the human did as he was told, nervously taking his seat again.

Zim stared at the Plookiesian, his expression determined and fearless. "Now, answer the question. You have six seconds to decide, and then I start shooting."

There was a tense silence hanging over them, and Dib didn't like it one bit. He wanted to leave until this was all over and done with, but here he was, forced to stay and watch the possible execution of a roomful of innocent bystanders.

Zim readied himself. "Six."

Kosav made a gesture with his hand, and the guards moved slightly forward.

"Five."

Dib's breathing began to accelerate. His eyes darted around the room in a panic.

"Four."

Kosav stood up as his guards surrounded him protectively.

"Three."

They drew their weapons while Zim checked the ammo in his own weapon.

"Two."

He aimed it at Kosav and placed his finger on the trigger.

"One."


	15. Chapter 15

Zim was calm. Focused and alert, he prepared to fire his weapon, body tense and ready. He was painfully aware of his surroundings. The Plookesians pointing their weapons at him did not bother the alien in the least. He had been on the other end of a blaster many times now, and now it only made him even more excited.

"Wait!" Dib shouted just as Zim was about to fire a warning shot into one of the guard's helmets. "This is all getting out of hand."

Zim tightened his grip on his weapon, eyes never wavering from their target. "Now is not the time to discuss this, Dib." He said.

"Think about this through their eyes!" He pleaded, desperate to avoid any more death. "Right now they're not the threat! You are!"

"One last chance." Zim said, addressing Kosav directly now. "If you say 'yes' now, everybody walks out of here unharmed and happy."

"It seems we have reached an impasse," Kosav said calmly. "So I again offer you this choice: Surrender your weapons, and we will consider it."

"Just think about it, Zim!" Dib pleaded with the Irken. "Not everything wants to hurt you! Not everyone is dangerous! There are good people out there, and this species is one of them!"

The blaster trembled slightly in Zim's hand. He was conflicted. _They might betray me,_ he thought. _They might try to kill me. They could be worse than the Tallest._

But on the other hand, the Plookesian's might very well be genuinely good, and he might just be overthinking the situation. The Empire taught him from a young age, since he was a smeet, nearly from the moment he was born: Don't trust anyone, everyone is a potential threat, and you must treat them like one.

He reminded himself that he was no longer affiliated with the Empire, so he didn't have to follow their rules anymore.

Finally, he settled on a compromise.

"I will give you our weapons, so long as you do not turn me over to the Empire." Zim relented. "You will grant us safety and protection, and neither you nor your people will harm us in any way."

Kosav nodded in agreement. "We accept the terms, and we will do our very best to uphold them to your satisfaction. Do we have a deal?"

Zim held out his gun. "We do."

The guards came forward once more, and this time they were allowed to take both Zim and Dib's weapons.

"We will give you three days to consider your options," Zim offered. "After that, we will return to hear your decision."

"That is also acceptable." Kosav agreed. "Until then, Irken Zim, I bid you farewell."

Zim nodded in acknowledgment and turned towards the door, gently tugging on Dib's arm. "Come on, we're done here."

They left.

They spent an hour or two walking around and observing the planet and the people just living their lives. Dib was watching one of them try to eat ice cream in a very strange way, when Zim nudged him and pointed across the street.

"Hey, look at that."

Dib followed his gaze. A guard, rifle in hand, entered an alley at the end of the street.

Zim began to pursue, but Dib grabbed his arm as he walked past.

"Wait!" He whispered. "Think this through before you start something! You agreed that we wouldn't have any weapons while we were here, remember?"

"I have thought it through!" Zim hissed. "And I was lying about not acquiring any more guns. We need to protect ourselves, so we need weapons! That guard has what we need, and we are taking what he has!"

He crossed the street and entered the alley, and Dib swore under his breath and ran after him. He heard a shout, that was quickly silenced halfway through.

He got there too late to stop anything from happening.

The guard was on his knees, and Zim was standing behind him, gripping a metal bar in his hands. The Irken swung it just as Dib caught up to him, and the item smashed into the Plookiesian's skull, dropping him to the ground.

"ZIM! What the fuck?!" Dib exclaimed, a little too loudly. "Why the hell did you DO that?!"

"Shhhh!" Zim said sharply, shoving the guard's knife into the pocket of his pants. "Do you WANT to be caught?! Shut up and help me deal with the body!"

"Is… is he dead?" Dib wanted to know, his voice trembling, them immediately regretted asking. He was afraid to find out the answer.

Zim put a finger to the alien's side and pressed down slightly, waiting a few seconds. "No, he isn't." He said, pulling his hand away. "His pulse is strong. I just knocked hm out."

Dib breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, that's good."

Zim shrugged while he collected the blaster and tucked it into his waistband. "Eh, I guess so, but it wouldn't really make much of a difference even if I had killed him. Anyway, he didn't see me, so I think we will be alright. I made sure that I struck from behind, out of his line of sight. Here, put this somewhere it will be concealed without anyone noticing it."

Zim held out a blade towards him.

Dib didn't take it. "I don't think that I should-"

"I am not asking you, I am telling you. Take this knife. Now."

Dib reluctantly took the weapon and tucked it into his waistband as well.

Zim grinned. "Good. Now we need to acquire a different pair of clothing. I don't want to be recognized, and It would get REALLY annoying with everyone asking me questions all of the time."

They crossed the street again and headed in the opposite direction of the alley, looking as inconspicuous as possible. While they continued to observe the lifestyle and general goings-on of the Plookesian race, numerous aliens stopped and stared when he passed by, no doubt having heard of him as well.

Zim managed to mostly ignore them until he and Dib were stopped by yet another passerby on their way towards the store.

This particular alien was a few inches taller than him, and had a red hat and baggy pants, with a shirt that had an image of a smiley face on it. 'HAVE A NICE DAY' was written below the image.

Zim decided that it would look nice on him. He glanced around, exploring his surroundings. There weren't many people out in this part of the area.

"Hey, I like your shirt." He said nonchalantly, pointing at it with a gloved hand. "Where'd you get it?"

The stranger looked down at it. "Oh, this? I bought it at the store just around…"

He trailed off, staring at Zim's face, looking like he was trying to remember something.

"Wait a second, I think I've seen you somewhere before," the alien said. "On the Holo-Net. You're Zim, right? The defective who got-"

Zim reacted immediately, drawing a knife he had hidden in his pocket and swiftly slitting the person's throat before he could utter another word.

"I am not defective." Zim hissed while the body dropped to the ground. "I am perfect. I am whole."

He crouched over the dying alien, and and shifted through the pockets of their clothes.

"What are you doing?" Dib asked with a confused tone.

"Looking to see what they had on them. Hopefully they have something we could use," Zim said. He pulled out a ration bar from one of the pants pockets. He grinned and put it into his PAK. "Finally, something edible. The slop they eat here barely passes as food."

He checked the other pockets and stood up, apparently finding nothing else of use, and continued on.

"What about the body?'

Zim stopped and glanced back. "Leave it, we don't have time."

"But we can't just leave it out here in the open!" Dib argued. "Someone might find it, and then it will only be a matter of time until they find out it was you who did this!"

Zim sighed and turned around, walking back to the body. "Fine." He grabbed the corpse under the arms and nodded towards a dumpster a few feet away. "Lift the legs and help me carry it behind that dumpster."

They moved it to the desired location and dropped the body there, Zim taking the clothes and hat, while Dib covered the unconscious alien with some trash bags.

Zim nodded in satisfaction. "Looks good enough." He took off his uniform and put on the shirt he stole, and changed into the pants as well.

Dib gave him his privacy, providing lookout while Zim switched clothes.

"Hey, this does fit me pretty well!" He heard Zim exclaim happily, and Dib turned back to see the Irken looking himself over with a satisfied grin. "I look so great in this!"

Dib rolled his eyes. "Can we go now?"

"Oh, yeah, sure." Zim put the hat on his head to help conceal his antennae and cleared his throat. "Okay, I'm ready. Let's go."


	16. Chapter 16

"Now what do we do?" Dib asked nervously, glancing around them. No one even looked in their direction.

"Stay here." Zim stopped in front of a clothing store. "I will be back."

He went inside, and Dib waited, hoping that the Irken didn't cause any more trouble while he was inside. He studied the different species around him while he waited, amazed at their sizes and shapes an colors. One of them had many different shades of blue, and another had red and black lines on its skin, which Dib found to be kind of awesome.

Zim came back out holding a grey drawstring hoodie, though it looked like it was a few sizes too big for him. In his other hand he carried another shirt and pants.

Dib watched as Zim put on the sweatshirt over the shirt he stole. The new clothes were thrust into his hands.

"This is for you. Put it on." Zim demanded.

"Why?"

"You need to change your clothes in case we are being hunted here." Zim explained. "The Irken uniform you are wearing will eventually give us away, and these clothes look much better, anyway. So, put them on and dispose of the uniform."

Dib switched shirts and threw the one he had been wearing into a trashcan as they passed it by. "What do we do now?"

"Now, we eat." Zim replied without a hint of worry in his voice while he lifted the hood to cover his face. "I saw a food place nearby. We will go there, and then we will see what else we can do to pass the time until Kosav finalizes our partnership."

"But we already had food a little while ago, when we were talking to the leader of the planet."

Zim looked back at him. "You are correct, but in case you failed to notice, I consumed very little, and you did not eat much, either. You are hungry, yes?"

The human nodded. The he grew worried as he remembered the body they hid. "But.. what about earlier? What are we gonna do about that?"

"We will do nothing," Zim said, glaring at him from under the hood, his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. "We were never there, so we're not under any suspicion."

Dib gave him a confused look. "But we-"

Zim stared back.

"Oh," Dib said, understanding now. "I get it. Yeah, we were never there."

The alien nodded in satisfaction as they approached the restaurant. "We were here, eating Plookesian slop and enjoying each other's company. We never saw them, never even knew they existed. We are saddened by their passing, and our sympathies are extended to their families."

Dib was surprised with how calm and unworried the Irken seemed to be as he established their alibi and rehearsed what to say in case they were asked for information. He wondered how many times he had done this exact thing before. Then Dib wondered how many people Zim had killed before the alien knew him.

They entered the restaurant, and Dib was immediately assaulted by loud noises and a bustling crowd of aliens. There was so much to take in. While the outside hadn't been much to look at, the inside of the building was extremely colorful and vibrant. The music was weird, but he didn't mind that all too much.

Zim pointed to a booth near the back of the building, the area around it deserted and free. "I like that one. Go sit over there and save it for us, and I will order the food."

"Okay." The human walked over and sat down, lost in his thoughts. He watched Zim, in his hoodie that was slightly too big, and was struck with a strange thought.

 _He looks kind of cute dressed like that._

He blinked. Did he really just think that? That Zim was cute? He shook his head. No, Zim wasn't cute at all! He was a murderer, a sociopath! He was incapable of truly caring for others.

But as sick as it was to think that way, Dib couldn't help it. The clothes Zim wore did look REALLY good on him, and they fit him well and everything.

He forced his attention towards the other patrons filling the building, the food being carried towards tables, anything but Zim.

He was staring at the menu above the counter across from their table when Zim returned holding drinks.

"Here," he said, sliding a cup over to Dib. "I got us drinks, too. Cost me almost twenty credits, which is fucking ridiculous, but that's how it is on this planet. Everything costs more than it should."

Dib glanced at him. "Did you really just say a swear word?"

"Yeah, so?" Zim shrugged as he sat down. "You humans used to say things like that all the time when we were on Urth. It grew on me, I guess." He took a sip of his drink and made a face, "bleh! This is terrible! I don't think they got my drink right. I should kill them for that."

The human gave him a shocked look, and Zim sighed.

"I was making a joke, Dib. Stop taking everything I say so seriously." He looked away. "Our food is coming now. That waitress is bringing it over here."

Dib turned in the direction Zim was looking, and saw a female Screwhead alien approaching with a tray of food in hand. She set down their plates and smiled warmly at Dib. Zim thanked her and handed her a couple of credits, and the waitress left to tend to other tables.

"What is this supposed to be?" Dib asked, staring down at his food and poking it with his fork. It looked like green JELL-O.

"Food, apparently," Zim confirmed, though it was unnecessary. He took a bite, chewed, swallowed. "Its okay, I guess. It's not great, but it'll do."

Dib stared at him, perhaps for a bit too long,

The Irken looked up. "What?" He asked quizzically.

"Nothing," the human said quietly, looking away. "You just… seem more relaxed, that's all. You're not as… uptight as you were before all of this happened. With the Empire betraying you and everything."

He felt Zim's ruby eyes on him, glowing from under the hood. "Don't talk about that with me. I'd rather not be constantly reminded of the Tallest's inability to see me as I am. An asset. Someone who has worth and a purpose. I tried everything to get them to see that I am more than just an expendable soldier. But they didn't, so I made the most difficult decision of all, and I did what I knew had to be done. That's all I will say."

He returned his attention to his food, and Dib knew the conversation was over.

He sipped his drink, and immediately put it down. Zim was right it wasn't very good at all. Maybe it wasn't meant for human consumption.

A million thoughts raced through his mind. Why did they have to leave Irk? What had Zim done to nearly get them both killed? He was dying to know. He glanced at Zim, who was still eating and avoiding Dib's gaze.

"What happened?" Dib dared to ask, finally trying his food. Zim was right. It wasn't bad. "Back on Irk, I mean, when we had to leave?"

"I already told you that I do not wish to discuss it with you." The Irken replied coldly, finally meeting his eyes.

Dib sighed. "I know that, but sometimes it helps to talk about things with other people, especially if something is bothering you. It might help you feel better."

"I feel fine."

"I don't think you do. You're always looking around, and you don't stay still for very long anymore ever since we left Irk. You're paranoid, and you've been making pretty dumb decisions lately without thinking them through, like with what happened earlier."

"Nothing is worrying me, and nothing is wrong," Zim hissed. "I am fine, we are fine, and nothing is going to change that. Now eat your food and stop trying to interrogate me."

"You're shaking." Dib said, pointing to his hands.

Zim looked down. His hands were indeed trembling slightly, and he set them on the table.

"What's wrong, Zim?"

The Irken was silent for a long time, the grip on his fork tightening as he stared at his food. Finally, he sighed and relaxed.

"They were going to kill me."

"Your leaders?"

Zim nodded slowly.

"Why would they do that?" Dib wondered aloud. "Didn't they trust you?"

"I thought they did. But I was wrong." The Irken looked up and met Dib's eyes. "They thought I was going to try and overthrow them. They thought that I was preparing you for that time, and when I tried to explain the truth, they ordered that I be taken to Devastis to be executed. Erased."

Dib remained quiet, shocked speechless.

"I allowed my fear to overtake me, and I killed a few of their guards. In response, they put a bounty on me, and I was forced to kill every Irken in the throne room. There were dozens of them. And then, I…"

He fell silent.

"What did you do, Zim?"

"I shot one of the Tallest." The alien replied, his voice shaky, giving away barely concealed emotion.

"You… you did what?" Dib asked, surprised and shocked. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I will not repeat myself again. You heard what I said."

Dib let out a shaky breath. He hoped that Zim was joking, but he knew that he was serious. Zim had never been the comedic type.

"This is really bad."

"I know, Dib."

"Like, this is really, REALLY bad, Zim."

"I said that I was aware!" Zim snapped, his eyes blazing with anger. "I know what this means. I know the consequences. I know I'll be killed if they find me."

"What's the bounty?" Dib asked. "How much are they paying for you?"

Zim fiddled with the drawstrings on his hoodie. "The Tallest said it was one hundred thousand when they demanded my death, but now I have no doubt that it has increased since then."

"Do you think I have one, too?"

"I don't know." Zim said. "Although, you were assigned to a job on Irk by the Tallest, so technically you are property of the Irken Empire. You also escaped off-world and have become a fugitive along with me, so by that logic, there is no way that you wouldn't have a reward for your capture as well."

"Well, that's just fantastic, isn't it?" Dib muttered sarcastically. "Just when I thought that things couldn't possibly get any worse."

"Don't kid yourself, Dib." Zim said, taking one more bite of his food. "It can always get worse for us. No matter how bad it is now." He pushed his plate away. He had finished most of his food. "Now I've lost my desire to eat."

Dib heard a news report playing on one of the screens in the building, and it caught his attention.

On the wall nearest them, a Vortian news anchor was talking about them.

"-Irken Zim is wanted by the Tallest for one million monies, as well as an unknown accomplice whose species is also unknown." The anchor reported emotionlessly. "Zim has committed numerous crimes against the Tallest, as well as murder, insubordination, and attempted murder on one of the Tallest themselves. They are requesting that he be taken in alive so that he may be executed publicly. The reward for his accomplice is estimated at one hundred thousand monies. In other news,-"

Dib turned back to Zim, who was also watching the screen. His ruby eyes lost some of their shine.

"Come on, we need to leave." Zim said, quickly standing up and grabbing Dib's hand. "We need to find a place to hide on this planet until everything dies down."

He walked calmly out of the restaurant, Dib's hand still entwined in his, until they reached the end of the street, at which point Zim broke out into a run.

"Where are we going?" Dib panted out.

"Kosav gave us a place to stay, remember?" Zim said back breathlessly. "We will go there for now. Its not far from here. Just a few more blocks."

They ran the whole way there, with Zim never letting go of Dib's hand. His gloves were damp with sweat, and his boots were loud on the sidewalk.

When they finally arrived, they were both out of breath and panting. Zim put in a code on the panel near the door and he and Dib rushed inside the second it allowed them entry.

"Go get cleaned up, and I'll start working on a plan." Zim said, closing the front door as soon as they were safely inside.

"Where can I do that?" Dib asked while he slowly regained his ability to breathe.

Zim pointed towards another door on the other side of the room. "There is a refresher, or a shower as you humans called it, just inside of that room there. When you are finished, I will tell you what to do from there."

Dib nodded and went into the shower room to clean himself, hoping with all of his heart that Zim knew a way to get them out of this.


	17. Chapter 17

Dib undressed and got into the shower, hearing Zim faintly muttering to himself in their shared room. He heard a frustrated yell as he turned on the water.

"Jeez, take it down like thirty notches, Zim," he muttered to himself as he lathered his body in some kind of alien soap.

He was done and dressed again in less than ten minutes, and when he left the bathroom, he saw Zim sitting at the table by the far wall, looking over some kind of paper sheet.

"What's that?" Dib asked, coming up behind the Irken. "It looks important."

"It is," Zim responded, not looking up. "It's a layout of the city. Buildings, transportation, eating establishments, everything. This is just what we need."

"Zim, I-" Dib paused, choosing his words carefully. "I don't think I can do this. I'm kind of afraid."

The Irken looked up at him. "If you are to stay with me, you need to shut yourself off. Don't allow yourself to feel anything. You must be cold. Emotionless."

"I'm not an Irken, Zim!" Dib said, slamming his hands down on the table as he began to grow frustrated. "I'm a human being, and I deserve to have feelings!"

Zim leaned back slightly, though he maintained eye contact. "And how well did having feelings work out for your species, Dib?" He taunted. "What good did it serve them in the end? Where are they now?"

"I can't be like you," Dib said softly. "Your people are monsters."

"Yours were no better!" Zim spat angrily. "They were constantly at war with themselves, sometimes having no clear goal in mind! They only wanted to kill and destroy for the thrill of it! We are the same!"

"Don't compare your Empire with my species!" Dib snapped, finally reaching his boiling point. "At least some of us were good!"

Zim was quiet for a short while.

"Your family suffered before their end." He said softly..

Dib was taken aback. "What did you say?"

"They pleaded for mercy, but I refused." Zim continued, speaking a little louder with each word, gaining confidence. "When we first landed, I approached your home and forced my way in. Your sister screamed at me to leave, so I ordered one of my soldiers to restrain her, and he put a knife to her throat. She was quiet after that, not saying a word."

Dib's hands balled into fists.

"I went upstairs and inspected her room, and I saw that she had some sort of pet sitting in the corner, kept in a cage. So I brought it down and killed it in front of her, and that of course only made her even more determined. She attempted to attack me, and I allowed her to take her chance, though she didn't do very well. She was pretty easy to stop."

"You murdered her dog?!" Dib yelled out.

"Is that what it was?" Zim asked rhetorically. "I had never seen one like that before."

"She loved that dog! It wasn't even two months old yet!"

Zim hummed. "What does that matter now? They're all deceased. Dead things don't care about anything."

"After that, I went downstairs to your father's lab, and I looked through the records he kept on his experiments. I took a few of them for myself for further study, one of which-" he stopped, producing a folded piece of notebook paper from the pocket of his jeans, "-are the results of an experiment from a project labeled "DG-M 12, codenamed NORTHWIND."

He dropped the paper on the table in front of Dib, and the human picked it up and unfolded it. He noticed his father's handwriting immediately, further confirming that Zim was being truthful.

It was old, dated all the way back to the year Dib and Gaz were born, and 'PROJECT UNSUCCESSFUL. TERMINATION REQUIRED' was written in black marker at the top of the page, also in his father's handwriting.

"This isn't real." Dib whispered while he read through the report. "This can't be real."

"I assure you that it is definitely genuine," Zim confirmed. "I took that from one of his files that had been placed in one of the trash cans by his work table. It was quite fascinating to read, honestly. Who was to know that you weren't really human, but an experiment designed by the very one who raised you?"

Dib clutched the paper in his hands, not believing what he was reading. Obviously it could have been fabricated by Zim in an attempt to deceive him, but it wouldn't make any sense to do so. He searched for his father's signature, and found it at the bottom of the page, signifying that this was, in fact, the real thing.

His heart broke then, shattered into a million little pieces. He slowly sat down in his chair, hanging his head.

Zim sat watching him closely, and Dib looked up to see him with an amused grin on his face.

"It is genuine, correct?" He asked mockingly. "It has been signed. What further proof do you need?"

"I can't believe this," Dib muttered in shock. "Not even my own father cared about me. I should have known. It was obvious."

Zim nodded. "It was. All those times he called you derogatory names. Crazy, insane, 'beyond help,' he was not joking. You know that."

Dib nodded sadly. "It was, and I knew it. I just refused to see the truth. I thought that maybe, if I worked hard enough, if I actually ACCOMPLISHED something for once, that I would have earned his recognition and love." He sighed. "Maybe that was all for nothing. I shouldn't have even tried."

Zim was silent for a while, still regarding Dib with that curious stare, his arms folded across his chest. "Maybe it's not a bad thing after all." He said quietly.

Dib looked up at him, tears streaming down his face. "What do you mean?"

"It means that you are special, you are better." Zim answered. "You are the first experiment of his that created a living human. You obviously had some sort of worth in his eyes, or you would not still be here now. He could have had you disposed, but he chose to keep you instead. He changed his mind for a reason."

Dib nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He was quiet for a while, until he looked up again. "Tell me what happened. I want to know."

"You won't like it."

"I don't care!" Dib yelled out in a rage. "I deserve to know what you did to them! I deserve to know if they suffered before you killed them!"

"They did suffer. I think they were relieved at the end."

Dib gripped the table, digging his nails into the wood. "Tell. Me. What. You. Did."

Zim sighed. "Very well, I suppose you deserve that much, at least, after all we've been through." He sat down on one of the beds in the room and cleared his throat before he began.

"It happened exactly like this."

XXXXXXXX

Zim approached the front door and drew his blaster, firing at the lock on the door and kicking it in as he entered his enemy's home.

"Where are you, Dib?!" He shouted into the empty living room.

He heard shuffling down the hall and started down that direction, moving quietly and cautiously. The house was dark, and he had trouble seeing, so he relied on his hearing to find his way around.

He went into each room, starting with the kitchen. Nothing out of order here, just the usual pots and pans that were in a regular dining area. He moved on into the hallway, listening for any sounds that might indicate signs of movement from hidden occupants.

He headed into a room that looked very dark and gave him the impression that this must be Dib's sister's room. He looked through drawers for anything useful, but found nothing except old video game cartridges and the occasional candy wrapper.

"Intruder alert," A robotic voice said from behind him. "Prepare to be terminated." It charged up its lasers as other robots awoke from within the room.

Zim sighed and drew his blaster, shooting them all with accuracy, blowing each of their heads clean off. He left the room and began to head to the next one, but just as he stepped out the door, he heard a whine. He stopped and went back, standing in the middle of the room and listening.

When he heard the sound again, he flung open the closet and was met with the curious gaze of a small puppy gazing up at him, sitting in a cage.

He unlatched the cage door, releasing the puppy from its prison, picking it up and examining it closely. He smiled. "Well, look at you." The puppy licked his face excitedly, and he coughed, pushing its face away. "You'll do very nicely."

Zim cradled it in his arms while he went back downstairs, and was stopped by one of his foot soldiers.

"Sir, we've found the sister of Dib Membrane. Would you like to speak with her now?"

"Yes, I would." Zim answered. "Bring her to me immediately."

The soldier nodded. "Yes, sir, right away." He looked at the puppy Zim held. "Sir, may I ask what that is you're holding?"

Zim grinned, looking down at the dog as well. "Our leverage."

He descended the stairs slowly, being met with the furious stare of Gaz Membrane when he finally strode into the living room. She was being kept in place by two other soldiers, standing on either side of her and holding her by the arms.

"Is this yours?" He asked her, holding up the creature by the scruff of its neck so Gaz could see. "I found it in your room."

"You put him down right now!" Gaz screamed at him. The soldiers holding her tightened their grip on her arms.

Zim drew his gun from its holster and placed the barrel of his weapon under the animal's chin. "I understand that this creature is precious to you. Have you given it a name yet?"

Gaz did not respond, continuing to glare at Zim with rage in her eyes, her body shaking with fury.

Zim returned her cold gaze. "Where is Dib?"

"The fuck if I know!" Gaz spat at him. "He's probably locked away in his room, or wandering around in the woods somewhere looking for Bigfeets or something, like always."

Zim smiled softly. "I see. Well, I have a proposition for you to consider. If you tell me where Dib is within the next five seconds, I will leave this one alive. But if you refuse, then-" he pressed a button on his blaster, and the weapon made a beeping sound. "-he won't be needing an owner anymore. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Gaz struggled harder in the guards hold. "If you hurt him, I'll kill you!" She screamed.

Zim hummed. "You are angered, and I most certainly understand that feeling, and the desire to release it. I do have some sense of respect for that, so instead of killing it now, I will give you a chance to defend your pet's honor." He nodded to the Irken holding her. "You may release her."

The guard did so, and Gaz immediately seizes the opportunity as she yelled out in a fury and swung a fist at his face, but Zim anticipated this action and caught her fist in his hand, yanking her arm and swinging her around, slamming her into the TV that sat behind him.

The screen cracked with the force of the impact, and Gaz slumped to the floor, her face bleeding in several places. She glared up at him with fire in her eyes. She stumbled to her feet, woozy from her injuries, and swung her fist again. It connected this time, slamming into the side of Zim's face. The Irken stumbled backward and held onto the cupboard for support, wiping at his face.

Zim panted lightly, beginning to feel out of breath. He held the dog out to one of his soldiers. "Hold this for me. Do not harm it." The soldier took the animal, leaving Zim's hands free. As soon as he was unburdened, he handed his knives and blaster to another soldier and turned back to Gaz. "Are you ready to-"

She punched him in the face again before he had time to react, the force of the punch making him groan. He spat out pink blood onto the floor, and laughed lightly.

"You fight well for a child." He addressed her, bending his antennae towards her in respect. "You put your fear and rage to good use."

Gaz growled at him, her body tense with anger and focus. "I'm gonna rip out your antennae and feed them to you."

Zim laughed weakly, still dazed from the blow. "We will see if you can make good on that."

He kicked her in the stomach and punched her in the diaphragm, knocking the wind out of her for the moment. While she struggled to regain her breathing, Zim grabbed her around the throat and squeezed. "Is this all you can do?"

Gaz drove her knee into his squeedlyspooch and broke free of his hold, and once she was free she tried to grab the Irken's blaster from the guard holding it.

Before she could get close enough, Zim hooked his fingers around the back of her shirt and pulled her backwards.

Gaz stumbled and took a step forward, and Zim walked up to her and grabbed the back of her head, slamming her face into the wall. Gaz fell to the floor, groaning in pain.

Zim picked her up and shoved her towards the nearest Irken. "Keep her restrained, and search the rest of the house in groups of two and find their father. Bring him back to me alive, but keep him conscious. I want the both of them to see the destruction I have brought to their world. After they are secured, bring them outside, and when I give the order, dispose of them."

The guards saluted and did as ordered, returning the ammo belt and knives to their owner, as well as the dog, They wandered deeper into the house and began splitting up, each pair exploring separate sections of the building.

He turned to another pair of Irkens. "Search the woods and the surrounding areas, and report back to me with your findings. Kill anything that moves."

He sent them off as well, and a few minutes later they contacted him on his communicator.

"Sir, we have found no signs of the human. Shall we cease searching?"

"Continue searching." Zim ordered. "He must be hiding somewhere."

The other soldiers returned a minute later, also reporting no signs of the boy. Zim went outside and looked around, wandering off behind the house.

He came back inside a few minutes later hauling another human with him, and Gaz recognized this one. She was one of her friends that she had been playing games with just last week,

"You were wrong about his location." The Irken said to Gaz. "We've already checked the entire house, and I did not find him."

The alien stopped in front of Gaz and kicked the other human's legs, forcing them to their knees. He stood behind this new arrival, keeping a firm grip on their shoulder.

"I believe that this must be one of your friends." He said coldly. "What's her name? Jessica? Or Jess, as you call her?" He turned to the girl. "I am correct, yes?"

The girl nodded, tears streaming down her face. "Please," she begged. "Don't hurt me."

"No harm will come to you if Gaz cooperates, but if you speak freely again, I will cut off your tongue. Is that what you want?" Zim said lowly.

Jessica shook her head frantically, and Zim patted her shoulder. "Don't worry about a thing. It will all work out, and I will even allow you to return to your family once she tells me what I want to know."

Gaz was still silent, watching him as her eyes burned with fiery rage.

"I will ask again. Where is Dib?"

She remained silent, her expression unchanging.

"Okay, this is getting us nowhere." Zim grabbed Jess' hair and yanked it back, forcing his knife into her mouth. "Give me a reliable location, or she will lose her tongue."

"I have no fucking idea where he is!" Gaz screamed at him. "But I do know one thing. When I get out of this, you're dead!"

Zim chuckled. "Oh, I do adore your persistence, at least, but I'm afraid that will do you no good now, little Gaz." He looked down at Jessica. "You have thirty seconds to tell me where he is, or your friend will be left with a permanent reminder of your failure."

"Wait!" Gaz shouted desperately, seeming to finally realize the danger she was in. "I remember when you were that stupid little alien who couldn't even take over one neighborhood! What happened to that part of you? Where did he go?"

Zim stared at her for a few seconds, his hold on the knife never wavering.

"He is gone." He said coldly. "He has been purged, and from the ashes of his failures, I have risen. And now, I am-"

"Sir." He was interrupted by one of his soldiers entering the house. "We have found the boy."

Zim grinned wickedly. "Excellent work! I will be with you shortly. Give me the dog."

The puppy was handed to him, and the Invader turned back to Gaz. He smirked at her, and after making sure she was watching, he stabbed the animal through the chest with a PAK leg. It whimpered in pain, coughed up some blood, and went still.

Gaz cried out in rage and devastation. Zim tossed the corpse to her, and she cradled it in her arms, sobbing as its blood smeared her shirt. The guards took her outside, still holding the dog's body, and then he was alone with her friend.

He walked up to Jessica and stood in front of her, holding his blaster by his side. He stared at the human kneeling before him. "I have no further use for you now, little one."

"C-can I see my parents now?" Jessica asked, sobbing.

He nodded. "You can. They are waiting for you in the Other Place."

Through her tears, Jessica stared at him in confusion.

"I killed them." Zim clarified for her, readying his raygun.

Jessica gave a strangled sound in realization, trying to speak through her shock.

"Thank you for your cooperation." Zim addressed her calmly. "You have been very helpful."

He pressed the trigger, and a bolt of energy fired into her brain. Blood sprayed out, spattering onto the wall behind them.

He stood there for a few moments, admiring his work and watching the blood pool around the body, and then walked out of the house, leaving the door open and the body to cool on the floor.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Do you feel any remorse for what you've done?" Dib asked angrily.

Zim regarded him with a cold stare. "I don't," he said, and Dib could tell that he was being completely honest. "I would do it all again if I could. That was the most fun I've had in a long time."

"You KILLED my family!" Dib screamed. "You killed everyone I've ever known! You're a monster!"

"I was afraid that you would react like this," Zim said, "which is why I didn't tell you sooner. I was only following orders." The Irken replied calmly, emotionlessly. "That's what a good soldier does, so that's what I did."

Dib pulled out his knife from his pocket. "I should kill you right now. You'd deserve it."

"Isn't it a little late now?" Zim asked, standing up. "If you truly wanted to kill me, you would have done it when I first took you on board the ship."

"I tried to, remember? But you won."

"I certainly do." Zim said, smiling at the recollection. "You were so weak then, and look at you now. You've become so much more."

"Stop talking." Dib growled, pointing the knife at him. "And die."

Zim nodded. "Fine. We will do it your way."

He pulled out his knives. "Let's see how much you've improved."

Dib ran at him and tackled him, pinning hm to the ground. The Irken raised his knife to defend himself-

And stabbed his former enemy in the shoulder, the blade sinking in deep.


	18. Chapter 18

Dib screamed as the knife entered his body, savagely chewing through skin and muscle. The pain utterly consumed him, and it was like he was burning on the inside.

Without thinking, Dib swung a fist weakly at Zim, hoping to at least get in some kind of damage.

No such luck. Zim immediately caught the fist in his hand and pushed it away, eyes wild and bloodthirsty.

The knife was yanked out of his shoulder, and Dib screamed again as the pain returned even stronger than before. Zim placed his boots against Dib's stomach and pushed.

The human was thrown off, and Dib hit the floor hard, landing on his back and getting the wind knocked out of him.

Dib immediately curled into a ball on the floor, whimpering in agony and struggling to breathe. Blood leaked out of his wound, quickly soaking through his shirt and forming a rapidly growing pool under him.

Through the intense pain he was feeling, he heard Zim rise to his feet, his boots thudding against the ground as he slowly walked over to his defeated partner.

"You're getting blood on the carpet." Zim observed, his voice calm and emotionless as he wiped the blood from his knife with a piece of cloth.

Dib said nothing, continuing to whimper pathetically as he clutched his wounded shoulder. His body shook with the pain wracking his body. He could see the tips of the Irken's boots in front of his face.

"What you did was very stupid." Zim continued. "If I had moved a little more to the right, you'd have a hole in your heart."

The human buried his face in his arms. He felt like throwing up, and he was dizzy and weak. The blood felt warm, and the powerful stench of copper invaded his nostrils, making him feel sick. He wanted to be somewhere else. He wanted to be home.

"Do you want to try again?" Zim questioned, returning the knife to the holster on his belt. .

No. No, he did NOT want to attack him again, not after he had just been stabbed. The next time could mean death, and he would not risk that.

The Irken sighed. "I know how you feel. It's happened to me before, too. But I don't regret doing it to you. You did give me no other choice."

He walked away, the sounds of his boots hitting the carpeted floor growing fainter the farther he went. Dib opened his eyes for just a moment and saw Zim go into a separate room-the bathroom, if he remembered correctly- and came back out a minute later.

The Irken walked over to him and dropped something in front of Dib. "Use this to stop the bleeding. Put pressure on it."

Dib glanced at the object. It was a wet rag, and he desperately reached for it. He just wanted the pain to STOP, and he didn't care what he had to do to make it happen. When he reached out to grab it, he was stopped by a boot crushing his throat.

Grasping feebly at the sudden move, Dib tried to lift the boot off of his airways, but the harder he tried, the more he couldn't breathe.

"I would like to make one thing clear to you moving forward." Zim said in a threatening tone while he pressed a little harder on Dib's trachea. "This time I will let you live, but if you attack me again with the intent to kill, it will be the last thing you will ever do."

His brain screamed for air, but it did not come.

"I'll rip out your throat," Zim continued. "With my teeth."

He didn't like the sound of that. The mental image was enough for him.

Dib was starting to feel lightheaded from lack of oxygen now. He tried to speak, but the pressure on his vocal chords was not letting him make a sound.

He started feeling around for something, anything, to help him get out of this situation. His hands closed around a wooden chair leg discarded underneath one of the beds from when Zim had thrown a chair against the wall in a rage while Dib had been in the shower, and he immediately seized his chance, gripping it tight.

"Actually, I have a better idea for you," the Irken broke the silence, pulling out his knife again. "I think I'll just-"

Dib chose this moment to strike, lashing out and hitting Zim in the knee. The alien shouted out in surprise and reflexively moved his foot from Dib's throat, allowing the human a chance to finally breathe again.

Dib immediately sprang to his feet and took advantage of Zim's temporary daze, bringing the chair leg up and striking Zim hard under the chin, snapping his head back. Spittle flew from the ex-soldier's mouth from the force of the blow, and he staggered backward. The knife fell from his hand, thudding to the ground.

Zim grunted in pain, trying to shake off the effects of the strike. While he was momentarily distracted, Dib grabbed his shoulders and shoved him away, causing Zim to fall backwards and hit the floor.

Dib tried to run past him to escape, but Zim recovered enough to grab his foot as the human passed him.

The aimless human was pulled down onto his belly, and Zim crawled on top of him.

The Irken was breathing hard now, straddling his enemy.

Zim placed both hands around Dib's throat and squeezed hard.

Dib fought it as best he could, but it was no use. Zim was too strong, and his body quickly grew tired and weary, especially after the injury he had just acquired a few moments ago.

His vision grew blurry in time, and his head was swimming with panic. He was being strangled, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

His gaze landed on Zim's blaster, nestled safely in its holster, and Dib reached for it.

Zim realized too late what was happening.

Dib's hand closed around the grip of the weapon, and he pulled it free, pointing the barrel at Zim's chest.

The Irken's eyes grew wide in realization, and he released his prisoner from his hold, quickly scrambling to his feet. "Dib, wait-"

Dib coughed, sucking air back into his lungs. His throat was raw, and it hurt to breathe. He stood up, "I'm done following you around." He whispered, his voice scratchy and horse. Every word felt like fire. "I'm leaving."

Zim's expression turned dark. "You are not going ANYWHERE!" He growled, bracing himself against the bed that was directly behind him. "You are mine, and you are staying with me!"

The human chuckled, only making his throat hurt even worse. "No. I'm not. Give me the keycard."

Zim said nothing, staring at him with narrowed eyes.

Dib gestured with the blaster. "Do you want me to shoot you?"

"In case you've failed to notice, I have nothing left to lose." Zim replied coldly. "In my eyes, killing me now would be a mercy. So go ahead. Do it."

"I'd really like to," Dib said after a moment of tense silence, confliction in his tone. "But I'm not like you."

Zim reached into his pocket and pulled out the keycard, throwing it on the ground in front of Dib. "You have never been more wrong. Every day, you are becoming more like me. I see it. I see you changing, transforming into something else. Leaving me now would be making a grave mistake."

Dib picked up the card and inserted it into the door, opening it once it beeped in confirmation. He turned back to the Irken, raising the gun again in warning. "You're a monster. A sociopath."

"We're all monsters, Dib. All of us. We've all done terrible things." Zim stepped towards him. "You're a monster, too. You've killed others. You've done bad things, and you can never fix what's already happened."

"I should have never gone with you," Dib snarled. "I should have killed you on Urth."

Zim laughed gleefully. "Yes, yes! Give into your hate and embrace your inner animal." Zim said coldly. "Feed it. Nurture it. Let it consume you. There is no other way to live now."

Dib looked out into the hallway, blaster still pointed in the alien's direction. He said nothing.

Zim raised his hand, pointing out into the hallway with two fingers. "Dib, if you go out that door, I'll-"

Dib fired the gun, the bolt of energy sizzling though the air and taking off both of Zim's fingers. The Irken screamed in agony and dropped to his knees, cradling his injured hand to his chest. Pink blood poured out of the stumps where his fingers used to be, dripping onto his pants.

"Wait," Zim squeaked out in desperation, voice thick with pain. "Wait. Don't leave. I can't be alone again! You're all I have left!"

"Not anymore." Dib replied. He quickly left, running out of the room and down the hall, taking the defeated Irken's weapon with him. Zim's agonized whimpering grew fainter, until he couldn't hear him at all.

Zim sat there for a full minute until the pain subsided enough for him to rise back to his feet. He picked up his knife and deployed a PAK leg, igniting it's flaming tips and heating the knife. Putting the now searing hot blade against his wounds, he forcefully applied pressure to his injury, crying out as the skin sizzled and melted slightly, as the wounds slowly cauterized.

Zim had to stop after a few minutes, the pain becoming absolutely unbearable. He was still bleeding quite a bit, so he had to treat himself fast, or he would quite possibly began to feel woozy from blood loss.

He placed the knife back onto his belt and stood up.

Dib had left the door open, and the injured Irken slowly walked out, reaching into his PAK and retrieving some gauze to wrap around his hand.

Zim wandered down the hallway, still dripping blood.

A passerby saw his state and tried to ask him if he needed medical assistance. In his anger, Zim did not stop to listen, and buried his knife's blade deep into their throat. He yanked it out as the stranger's blood gushed forth, continuing on as the body hit the floor.

He left the building and went out into the street, where it was crowded with civilians and visitors alike. Using his good hand, he reached behind his head and raised the hood on his sweatshirt to avoid being recognized. The pain was intense, and he wanted it to stop. It was worse than anything he had ever felt before.

He stopped a passing Plookesian, grabbing its arm.

"Where is-" he paused, whimpering and gasping, doubling over slightly as a fresh wave of pain hit him, his injured hand still cradled against his chest. "W-where is the nearest m-medical facility?"

"You're in luck," The alien said cheerfully. "It's just around the corner!"

"Th-thank you," he said, releasing their arm and turning the corner. He saw it then, the sign glowing big and bright. MEDICAL.

He approached the front entrance, and the doors slid open to allow him entry. Once inside, he went up to the front desk, where a female Plookesian receptionist sat filling out paperwork.

"I n-need medical a-assistance," Zim choked out, pain wracking his small body. "Please."

"What is your injury?" The receptionist asked dully.

Zim placed his mangled hand on the counter. Blood still leaked out steadily.

The receptionist's eyes went wide. She immediately reacted, pushing a button on a device next to her. "Doctor, you're needed immediately. We have an Irken patient here missing two fingers. Heavy bleeding."

Zim trudged over to the nearest chair and sat down, trying not to let his emotions overwhelm him. Crying was weak, and he vowed when he had been fixed that he would never be weak again.

He raised his knife, now slick with blood and sweat, and placed the edge against his arm. Pain would do him good now, and he needed a constant reminder to never trust anyone or anything ever again. Look what trust got gotten him lately; now he was missing parts of his organic body. Very important parts.

His injured hand throbbed with agony, and despite his efforts to keep himself somewhat composed, a soft, pathetic whimpering passed his lips. The bleeding had mostly stopped now that he had put pressure on it, but the pain of Dib's betrayal still stung worse than a thousand bee stings.

He was not whole anymore. He was no longer perfect, and would never be again. He had failed his entire race, and he mentally berated himself.

As much as he tried to deny it, he knew the truth: he was scared now. He was terrified of what might become of him now. The last survivor of his massacre of Urth was in the wind, and Zim had no way of finding him.

A doctor came to check on him, and brought him back into his office, a little room in the back of the building.

"You'll need prosthetics for your hand," he informed the Irken immediately after taking a look at him. "We don't have any spare Irken limbs for you at this time."

"H-how long until you can get new ones?" Zim asked,

The doctor hummed thoughtfully. "Maybe a few weeks, if we're lucky. Until then, you shouldn't leave the planet. In the meantime, I have something for the pain."

He opened a drawer and reached inside, pulling out a syringe and handing it over. "This should get rid of the pain until then."

Zim took it right away, immediately injecting it into his arm with his good hand. The doctor was right. The pain stopped after a few moments, and he was able to think properly again.

He was then handed two synthetic fingers, metal and thin, similar to the Tallest's finger gauntlets. The disappointment felt heavy in Zim's chest. He would be imperfect for just a little bit longer.

Zim placed them over the remains of his lost fingers, examining them. He had to admit to himself that they didn't look too bad. He tested them out, wiggling them, and they moved just as well as his other limbs did.

He thanked the doctor for his help and left the room, seeing a familiar face just as he was about to exit the building.

Short with a wide body, talking and laughing with another Irken across the room, was someone he knew.

Zim approached this figure, realization gnawing at his brain.

"Skoodge?"


End file.
